Is it universal? Let us look at a field case. It can be seen from the above that many renowned scholars believe the main difference between ritual and nonritual activities lies in the opposition between technicality and supernaturalism. However, one consensus is widely accepted by scholars: that the mechanism and philosophy of ritual differ from other behaviors in daily life, i.e., it is both nontechnical and supernatural.įor example, Turner ( 1967, 19) writes in The Forest of Symbols that “by ‘ritual’ I mean prescribed formal behavior for occasions not given over to technological routine, having reference to beliefs in mystical beings or powers.” Sir Leach ( 2004, 13) states in Systems of Highland Burma: A Study of Kachin Social Structure that “ritual denotes those aspects of prescribed formal behavior which have no direct technological consequence.” van Beek defines ritual as “stable patterns of activity in which men address the supernatural.” A Dutch scholar quotes the Journal of Royal Anthropological Institute (1951) that “ritual, like etiquette, is a formal mode of behavior recognized as correct, but unlike the latter it implies belief in the operation of supernatural agencies and forces” (Platvoet and Van Der Toorn 1995, 42–45). In the field of anthropology, renowned scholars have offered vastly different definitions of ritual. This essay discusses the definition of ritual and research approaches according to the main ritual theories through case studies of the Floral-belt Dai and the Ao Yao.ĭistinguishing ritual’s technicality and supernaturalismīefore the cases are described, it is necessary to review the definition of ritual given by scholars. Footnote 1Īlthough many distinguished scholars have contributed to ritual studies and much academic attention is paid to this field, a stable core concept is still lacking in academia as a whole. There are also academic journals that focus on ritual study. In recent years, monographs and essays with “ritual” as a keyword take up a great proportion of anthropological results. The cultural meanings in rituals within 1 day may be richer than those in ordinary activities within 1 month, making ritual more promising in seeking of meaning. Scholars have observed that rituals and celebrations are occasions with concentrated expression of cultural meanings. Evans-Pritchard’s Nuer and Clifford Geertz’s Bali series are both significant works in their description and analysis of ritual. Both the stealing of branches from the temple in The Golden Bough, written by anthropologists’ predecessor James George Frazer, and the Kula ring described in Argonauts of the Western Pacific, which set standards for fieldwork, are classic examples of ritual study. Ritual study has always been a major topic in anthropological research.
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