Anthropology by Mary Douglas and Victor Turner

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews two works by Mary Douglas and Victor Turner on the matters of ritual and anthropology (article sources are not named and are not included). The paper briefly explores issues of taboo behavior in scriptures and rituals, and concludes that the process of studying such scriptures and rituals is difficult because of the inter-connectivity found between them and their respective host societies.

From the Paper:

"It is commonly accepted that many religious scriptures help convey social and communal codes. Dietary habits are a good example of this, where certain cultures avoided the ingestion of pork on the grounds that it was prohibited by their faith, but also that avoidance helped reduce the possibilities of disease. However, the authors promote the concept that there are multiple ways to understand adherence to certain scriptures and codes as presented in the religious texts. The concept of what is dirty, soiled, or sinful, for example, can be interpreted on one level as helping practitioners avoid lifestyle traits that were unhealthy. Yet this can be interpreted on a second level as well, where the avoidance of dirt was more of a symbolic avoidance of impurities."

More papers on Anthropology by Mary Douglas and Victor Turner:

• Book Review # 47579 : "Mary Douglas's "Natural Symbols: Explorations in Cosmology"
• Analytical Essay # 116106 : "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley"
• Analytical Essay # 132914 : "Stephen Douglas and the Doctrine of Popular Sovereignty"

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