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Flashcards in 5 midterm (structuralism) Deck (27)
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1
Q

what did Structuralism emerged out of

A

School of thought that emerged out of the field of linguistics

2
Q

what is structuralism

A

Analyzes large-scale systems by examining the function of smaller elements, e.g., how a cultural system can be deduced by decoding its interactive system of signs: elucidate the underlying rules and conventions of language to determine and decode the structure of a culture

3
Q

what was Claude Lévi-Strauss

A

Structuralist

4
Q

what did Claude Lévi-Strauss do

A

focused on “deep structures” embedded in myths and rituals

5
Q

what are deep structures

A

deep structures = the unconscious infrastructure of a cultural phenomenon revealed through its stories

6
Q

what was Claude Lévi-Strauss’ motto

A

Motto: get at deep structures through a culture’s surface expressions

7
Q

how did Claude Lévi-Strauss get at deep structures through a culture’s surface expressions

A

Lévi-Strauss did this by contrasting categories in myths described in your text in terms of “bipolar structures in tension with each other”, e.g., male-female, left- right, sky-earth, nature-culture (Rodrigues & Harding, p. 62). Myths function to resolve these tensions

8
Q

what was Victor Turner

A

Structuralist

9
Q

what did Victor Turner do

A

American anthropologist famous for his analysis of “rites of passage,” transitional states in religious practice that speak to issues of apprenticeship, maturation, and integration

10
Q

what did Victor Turner say that rituals indicate

A

a “liminal” state of transition, from a conventional structure of society to a community structure that embodies the ethos that underpins the liminal state, “communitas”

11
Q

what are communitas

A

(shared values of a specific worldview):

12
Q

what is the liminal state of transition

A
  1. conventional society –

2. liminality & communitas – 3. religious institution

13
Q

The study of religion includes the study what

A

literate and non-literate societies

14
Q

why do anthropologists examine rituals and orally transmitted myths

A

The study of religion includes the study of literate and non-literate societies. That’s why anthropologists examine rituals and orally transmitted myths. They reveal things about religious beliefs and practices excluded from sacred texts.

15
Q

Example of Contemporary Sociology of Religion

A

secularization

16
Q

Sociology built on the preoccupation with the process

of what

A

“modernization” and “secularization”

17
Q

what is the Theory of Secularization

A

Society has, since the 19th century, become increasingly secular, which means religion is consistently losing its grip as alternative explanations take precedence in terms of explaining the meaning and function of human society

18
Q

The traditional view of secularization was held up until when

A

held up until the 1960s

19
Q

what was secularization su[ported by

A

Supported by the “criticism of religion” of classical sociology and its various restatements

20
Q

what approach did Peter Berger’s have

A

Contemporary Sociological approach

21
Q

what was Peter Berger’s view

A

view of the “sacred canopy” somewhat embodies the presupposition of the traditional secularization thesis

22
Q

what did Peter Berger think Religion (a religious worldview) serves as

A

sacred canopy protecting a religious

23
Q

As the religious group faces the challenges of secular life and assimilates, the canopy begins to what (Peter Berger)

A

erode

24
Q

does Berger still accept this thesis

A

Berger now rejects this thesis and argues that religion isn’t going away with the increase of secular consciousness. On a global scale, religions, especially religious fundamentalisms, are actually on the rise.

25
Q

Rodney Stark and William S. Bainbridge

A

build critically on Berger’s ideas of secularism and the interaction with religions

26
Q

Rodney Stark and William S. Bainbridge say what about religious life

A

Religious life more than a matter of nonrational decision making (“faith”). Religious action involves choice, rational choice concerning a religious path

27
Q

Rodney Stark and William S. Bainbridge say what about The impact of secularization on religions

A

The impact of secularization on religions also speaks to issues of the reconstitution of the religions in question. A bilateral influence of faith and reason, the sacred and the profane (the secular), seems to exist, which is responsible for new forms of religiosity that, in turn, critique the mainstream.