Unit 5 Definitions Flashcards
ancestor worship
a worldview in which deceased ancestors are still connected to living relatives and have the power to intervene in the daily life of the living
animism
a worldview in which all natural objects have spirits, many anthropologists prefer the term “relationality”
communitas (!)
an unstructured or minimally structured community of equal individuals frequently found in rites of passage
key metaphors (three types?)
societal metaphors: a key metaphor whose predicate lies in the social order
organic metaphor: metaphor whose predicate lies in the image of a living body
technological metaphor: objects made by human beings are the metaphorical predicate
magic
a set of ideas and practices designed to control or manipulate the reality beyond our senses
myths (!)
stories that recount how various aspects of the world came to be
religion
ideas and practices that postulate reality beyond our immediate senses
revitalization (!)
a conscious, deliberate and organized attempt by some members of a society to create a more satisfying culture in a time of crisis
rite of passage
a ritual that serves to mark the movement and transformation of an individual from one social position to another
rituals (!)
repetitive social practice composed of a sequence of symbolic activities (dance/song/speech/gestures/manipulation of objects), adhering to a culturally defined ritual schema and closely connected to a specific set of ideas that are often encoded in myth
secularism
the separation of church and state
syncretism
the synthesis of old religious practices with new religious practices, introduced from outside, often by force
witchcraft
the practice of magic, whether intentional or not
worldviews (!)
encompassing pictures of reality created by the members of societies
liminal period
the ambiguous transitional state in a rite of passage, where the individual(s) in the ritual are outside of their ordinary social positions
