Last class Todays class

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Last class Todays class

• Anomaly review
• Expansion of reaction to anomaly
• 2nd part of Douglas
• Magic
• Power in position
• Power in person
• Baba/witch videos

• Anomaly by association
• External/internal power contrast
• Internal power expanded types of
• Pollution types and beliefs
• Shattering and renewing in ritual

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Power of anomaly

• If something is anomalous for one reason, other
  anomalous features attributed to it
  
• Gypsies migration and therefore
• Rock stars (sometimes live up/down to
  expectations)
  
• Professors are weird and therefore
• Logic of magic used in commercials
• Drink same soda a Brittney and
• Use Herbal Essence and
• In a wedding a bride is betwixt and between and
  therefore
  

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Society types and types of power

• Grid system structured, articulated
• Power in position, overt power
• Political candidate power, movie star power
• VA film festival, festival of the book
• Want to touch power
• Group homogeneity and little structure
• All equal, or should be
• Power in person, power to be avoided
• Grid US and Group states of former USSR

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Power in person is of 3 types

• Person who is permanently anomalous, on fringes
  of society
  
• Person who is temporarily anomalous in
  transition between categories, like a bride
  
• Power of ordinary person in anomalous situation

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Examples anomalous person

• Beggar refused (blame the victim syndrome)
• You feel bad for not meeting obligation
• Blame evil eye of beggar if something goes wrong
• Gypsy, mendicant
• Power of the witch
• Closest US parallel is beggar, person who
  cleans windshield at red light. What power
  does this person have? What can he do to you?
  
• Ill effect on person versus property contrast

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Temporarily anomalous

• Bride recall how she is anomalous
• Can help end drought
• Help crops grow, animals reproduce
• Grave of suicide used same way
• US parallels bride again dance with and kiss
• Bride (and groom) predict (and affect) future
  with bouquet, garter

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Ordinary person (close to pollution)

• Improper weaning and evil eye
• Jealous eye of any person
• Fear of coveting
• Deflection of compliments
• Peculiar Russian suspicion of person who is
  better off got there by illegitimate means
  
• Formerly witchcraft now Mafia connections

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Baba Sanka was a member of the church choir
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External/internal restated

• External or position power is positive
• Like luck
• Something you wanted to be associated with, you
  want to touch these people
  
• Internal power is negative something you want
  to avoid
  
• This is pollution power
• Contrast finding witch with finding best
  Democratic candidate

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External boundaries/internal lines

• External attack by outside or foreign person or
  agent
  
• Internal things that happen within society
• Transgression of a rule explicit rule (esp. one
  not enforced) or implied taboo
  
• Human body as symbol for body politic
• External and internal affects on body, esp. the
  latter, expressed in pollution beliefs

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4 kinds of social pollution

• Danger pressing on external boundaries
• Danger from transgressing internal lines
• Danger in the margins of the lines
• Internal conflict one basic postulate
  contradicted by another

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External someone/thing from outside causes harm

• Veresai, mom and gypsy
• Soviet Union and Iron Curtain, train gauges
• Villages attacks on strangers
• Treatment of body of suspected thief
• More body US examples
• X-files and black oil
• Ants in the face and other urban legends
• Temple of Doom, Dune and other pop culture

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More body usual fear is sexual entry for
Russians, it is mouth

• Traditional
• Failure to cross bread
• Bridal bath/sweat and giving groom a sip
• Milk and milk mother witch who has drunk no
  milk
  
• How to see witches
• Modern
• Collapse of Soviet Union famine fears
• Dental hygiene (or lack of same)

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Outsider can spoil your food supplyYou placate
outsider, link to you by making him eat your food

• Pregnant woman asking for food and being
  denied
  
• Pregnant woman steals food affect is on baby
• Pollution often affects indirectly not
  transgressor, but someone else

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Internal do something youre not supposed to
you get zapped

• Play with self
• Eat too much chocolate
• Russia working on Friday
• Failure to marry, even to die at right time
• How pressure to marry plays out in
  marriage/divorce/remarriage
  

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Danger in the margins

• Concrete danger (and power) margin taken
  literally
  
• Doorway example place where Volodia cured
• Power of the portal to see witches
• To see a babys future
• Danger of the portal at funerals
• Sitting at corner of table
• Shaking hands across threshold

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More abstract danger being in the margin,
concrete or abstract

• Danger when going outside home, village
• Danger during a transition time such as Christmas
  ghosts come back
  
• Danger at life transitions like wedding - to
  couple pins in grooms jacket
  
• Inviting reputed sorcerer, witch to wedding
• Groom evil-eyed
• Extreme veiling in north
• Making noise
• Whole entourage with military terminology to
  protect the couple

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Groom fainted evil eye
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American use of margins

• Concrete door decorations at all holidays
• Abstract the Holiday period 2003-04 and
  terrorist fears
  
• Flights into US from Europe
• Fears about Times Square celebration

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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

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Double margins double taboosSystem contradicts
self

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