Last class Todays class

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Last class Todays class

• A bit more on anomaly and on types of power
• Power related to types of social structure
• Pollution types and beliefs

• Pollution types, esp. in margins danger to and
  danger from
• How pollution beliefs work
• To explain
• To restore order
• To coerce
• Play of contradictions in ritual
• Function of ritual
• Start courtship

2
Pollution types reviewed

• External threats to body politic
• Averted with Iron Curtain, GAI
• External threats to body human
• Devils versus bosom serpent
• Modern threats
• American food extra good or extra bad
• Harvesting organs from comatose patients,
  children, brides
• Internal
• Threats you fail to go to college, your future
  is ruined

3
Power in the margins

• Margin can be concrete (doorway) or abstract
  (wedding)
• Power of door, window
• Concrete can be used as symbol for abstract
• Ritual actions door, gate, window
• Power can go either way harm or help

4
American protection of liminars

• American wedding and protection of couple
• Veiling
• Hiding dress from groom
• Escape at end of banquet and noise
• Use of concrete margins doorway and wedding
• American students their power, including to
  pollute
• Danger to students, their vulnerability

5
Double margins double taboosSystem contradicts
self

• Pregnancy beliefs mom and dad can pollute
  unborn
• Not see fire while pregnant (dont get
  frightened)
• No stealing
• Child desired/unbaptised child is little devil
  (proverb)
• Sewing and chopping wood recall contradiction
  of imperative to work
• And you do work, including heavy labor through
  end of pregnancy

6
Uses of pollution beliefs

• Articulate system no problem
• Overt enforcement pollution beliefs not
  necessary
• When things are fuzzy pollution beliefs come in
  and help clarify, bring order
• Post hoc ergo proto hoc actually gives sense of
  control
• Also, way to enforce that which cannot be
  enforced

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Pollution explains, brings order

• Finding agent, cause for bad outcome
• Can counteract
• Confront and demand compensation
• Appease, placate
• Avoid
• Blaming self
• Gives the sort of control that you cannot have
  over others
• Change self change (bad) outcome

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Enforcement through pollution

• Dont make faces or your face will freeze that
  way
• Dont swallow your gum
• Dont pick your nose
• Contrast to Dont do X or I will spank you make
  you kneel in corner
• What about in adult? Those various legends I
  told you analogous to moms threats above
• What are American threats? Sexual? Mouth?
  Property?
• Abstract threats No college bad job too many
  video games no college

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Aside on body as symbol

• Consider tattoos, piercings, and other body
  modification art
• Who does it? What kind of person?
• At what point in life?

10
System shattered and renewedResolution in ritual

• Douglas examples eating Pangolin
• Normally disgusting, but consume at special
  times, by special people for power
• Dinka spear master conquers death by accepting
  death
• Slavic death practice in past almost identical
  to Dinka
• Less extreme tsyhanshchina
• American kids at Halloween

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Ritual and powers/dangers

• Sets up special situation, circumscribed in time
  and space
• Labeled dangerous you dont do it right, all
  sorts of bad things happen
• People who go through ritual are anomalous
  liminars
• They are dangerous to others/susceptible to
  dangers
• But they enact social contradictions and resolve
  them and thus are creative and beneficial

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Valentine Survey results

• 1. At what age do children start celebrating
  Valentines Day? Both
• A Kindergarten 94 94
• B 1st grade 3 4
• C Middle school 1 1
• D They dont do this in school anymore
• 2. At what age do children stop giving cards to
  everyone in the class?
• A 1st grade 5 4
• B 5th grade 44 42
• C 6th grade 50 52
• D they dont give cards at any age 0 1
• 3. At what age do people start sending cards
  only to a few special someones?
• A Pre-teen 22 26
• B Teen 48 42
• C High school 24 25
• D College 5 5

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• 4. Is it acceptable for women to send cards to
  men?
• A Yes 100 98
• B No 0 1
• 5. Is it acceptable for adults to send cards to
  more than one person?
• A Yes 87 84
• B No 12 15
• 6. What do you do for Valentines Day now that
  you are in college?
• A Send a card 9 7
• B Give chocolate 0 0
• C Give flowers 1 3
• D Go to dinner 7 15
• E Other (this can mean more than one of the
  above) 81 73
• 7. If you are in a relationship, who takes the
  initiative on Valentines Day?
• A Man 45 43
• B Woman 0 3
• C Either 52 51

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• 9. Acceptable for a woman in a relationship to
  take her boyfriend out to dinner?
• A Yes 79 75
• B No 20 24
• 10. Acceptable for a woman in a relationship to
  send her boyfriend a card?
• A Yes 100 100
• B No
• 11. Acceptable for a woman in a relationship to
  buy her boyfriend flowers?
• A Yes 51 51
• B No 48 48
• 12. Acceptable for a woman in a relationship to
  buy her boyfriend underwear?
• A Yes 88 91
• B No 11 8
• 13. A woman not in a relationship may send the
  man she is interested in flowers?
• A Yes 40 37
• B No 59 62

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• 15. A woman not in a relationship may take the
  man she is interested in to dinner?
• A Yes 63 63
• B No 37 36
• 16. My parents still celebrate Valentines Day.
• A Yes 81 77
• B No 18 22
• 17. My grandparents still celebrate Valentines
  Day
• A Yes 54 54
• B No 45 45
• 18. Parents should give cards to children for
  Valentines Day
• A Yes 83 78
• B No 16 21
• 19. Children should give cards to parents for
  Valentines Day
• A Yes 72 68
• B No 27 31

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3 functions of ritual

• Draw the line
• Facilitate the crossing of the line
• Articulate and resolve cultural issues
  (contradictions)

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3 functions expanded

• Draw the line How to tell when someone is an
  adult
• Provide a prescribed structure to get you through
  the dangerous margin
• Allow ritual humiliation (of bride in US) and
  other acting out, such as conflict between
  brides family and grooms

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Russian courtship

• Special period passing (work) test to join
  courting group?
• Age criterion?
• Financial requirements role of women
• Payment in kind food, fiber, work
• Hiring a home (removed and dangerous)
• Girls work first then boys arrive
• Male financial obligations wood, lamp oil, music

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Courtship continued

• Evening starts with work, then food
• Entertainment
• Songs and stories
• Games
• General socializing
• Spending the night at courtship parties and the
  question of virginity
• Straw girls lie down, put out light, then boys
• Other girls go home
• Other boys play pranks, fight with other groups

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Courtship seasons, summer courtship

• Seasons of courtship, winter and summer
• Winter is Oct. 1 Christmas
• Spring after Christmas to Lent
• Summer at street corners, village square, well
• More of these
• Less food
• More singing, dancing
• More magic needle and thread, porridge

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Summer cont. and special events

• Spending the night in the summer
• Her komora more privacy
• He has to get home before daybreak
• Special days, usually holidays
• Rest of community may join, esp. young married
  folks without children, adolescents
• Fortune-telling
• Minyonok video

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