Embedded Files
KEY READINGS
Goldberg Textbook - Religion: Contexts and Expressions pg. 251-254
Van Gennep Reading
Ritual Analysis
Ritual Analysis
In every culture, people mark milestones in life in various ways. Some cultures and religious traditions have developed specific rituals to mark significant moments in people’s lives and these rituals are called lifecycle rituals or rites of passage. Lifecycle rituals mark when people may be entering an important new or different stage of life. A lifecycle ritual may be a simple action involving only one or two people or it might be a complex religious ceremony involving the whole religious community. Prior to exploring lifecycle rituals in the major world religions, we need to investigate ways of analysing rituals
Van Gennep
Van Gennep
Arnold Van Gennep (1873-1957) is best known for his work on rites of passage ceremonies and his study of totemism in early societies.
His best-known work is Les rites de passage (The Rites of Passage, 1909) which includes his vision of rites of passage rituals as being divided into three phases: préliminaire 'preliminary',' liminaire 'liminality', and postliminaire 'post-liminality'.
Fun Fact: The Rites of Passage was highly influential in the structuring of Joseph Campbell's 1949 text, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, as Campbell divides the journey of the hero into three parts, Departure, Initiation, and Return.
Understanding Liminality
Understanding Liminality
The word liminal is from the Latin ‘limen’, which means ‘threshold’, and is used to describe the second stage of the ritual where the person’s status is somehow changed or transformed.
Van Gennep used the term ‘liminality’ to describe the state in which people are on the threshold of entering a new phase in their life, who have left the previous one behind, but are not yet fully in the new stage of life. He also emphasised that people need time to recognise and ritualise the liminal phases they go through in life, and he believed ceremonies that marked rites of passage were not only essential for human beings but also played a valuable role in society by providing a type of social stability.
When trying to understand the Rites of Passage, consider the ritual as a three phase schema: Separation, Transition, Incorporation.
The Rites of Passage Explained
The Rites of Passage Explained
01
01
Pre Liminal
Pre Liminal
Separating from the previous life
Separating from the previous life
You are on the outside of a door ready to enter into a new decision.
02
02
Liminal
Liminal
Transitioning from one stage to another
Transitioning from one stage to another
You are at the entrance of the door making the decision to enter leaving behind what is outside the door.
03
03
Post-Liminal
Post-Liminal
The new status or state of life.
The new status or state of life.
You have made a decision and you are entering a new phase of your life.
Lovat
Lovat
Terence Lovat, an Australian religious educator, has developed a model that can be applied to all rituals. Lovat began his analysis of rituals from the perspective that all rituals have a beginning, a middle and an end. He determined that ritual activities can serve psychological needs:
Esteem needs - feeling accomplished
Belongingness and Love needs - Intimate relationships and friends
Lovat's Theory
Lovat's Theory
Lovat developed a five-step approach, which can be applied to rituals.
The participant:
- Leaves the ordinary or mundane world and enters the ritual
- Engages in some type of preparatory rite
- Experiences a central point or highpoint of the ritual
- Joins in some form of celebration in the ritual
- Leaves the ritual and returns to the ordinary world.
Ritual Analysis Questions
Ritual Analysis Questions
Below are eight key questions to consider when conducting a ritual analysis
ACTIVITY & REFLECTION
ACTIVITY & REFLECTION
VAN GENNEP
According to the Van Gennep Reading, define ‘separation’, ‘transition’ and ‘incorporation’.
Define ‘liminality’...
Describe the preliminal, liminal and postliminal phases of a popular ritual as Van Gennep would have described.
How is the transition multifaceted in ritual?
LOVAT
In pairs, explain the following rituals utilising the 5 step model. Consider - is this ritual life cycle?
Baptism
Eucharist
Reconciliation
Marriage
RITUAL ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
In pairs, answer each of the 8 questions in relation to your previously chosen ritual.
Consider: The importance of rituals within the Christian faith
Why do we have certain rituals at particular stages in life within the Christian faith?
Have you taken part in any of these rituals? Describe these experiences
Now that you have an understanding of ritual analysis, can you explain/ identify any other “rituals” that are apart of you day to day life? Give examples
Van Gennep Reading.pdfPage updated
Report abuse