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RITUAL
1. Ritual
performance and the politics of identity; On the functions and uses of ritual
by Jan Konster; University of Groningen
The form of ritual is seen as autonomous,
i.e. as relatively independent of meaning. As a set of identity-affecting techniques,
the elements of ritual can be integrated into both religious and secular
settings. Ritual is claimed to be relatively harmless with respect to the
symbolic territories of designated “sacred spaces,” while it is considered
dangerous under conditions of “overflow,” when the elements of ritual are
brought into public space.
Ritual is intrinsically interesting as a
rich area of human self-expression. Furthermore, ritual differs from language
in that it primarily relates to human emotions, some of them alarming,
particular in political contexts.
Washing one’s hands before dinner may be
a stereotypical act of some cultures, it is in principle something utilitarian
(a matter of hygienics) and as such not a ritual act. This particular example
can be contrasted with ritual hand washing, the form of which is not determined
by hygienics but by the arbitrary rules prescribed by some community. But a
ritual act must also be distinguished from certain non-utilitarian, possibly
rule-governed stereotypical acts, namely those that are just play.
Simple ritual acts are non-utilitarian
acts that are conventional and constitutive of the identity of some group. Complex
ritual acts are ordered sequences of simple ritual acts.
Ritual, in contrast, does most
definitely belong to human culture and always involves social psychology, no
matter what benefits it has for the individual.
Examples of complex ritual acts are
ordered sequences of prayers. A prayer is a simple ritual act in the above
sense, but many cultures organize their prayers in cycles, for instance by
aligning them to certain moments of the day.
A ritual performance is a community’s
symbolic demarcation of a territory in space and time by complex ritual acts
and techniques affecting the experience of identity of the participants away
from individuality.
2. A Complex
of Ritual and Ideology Shared by Mesoamerica and the Ancient Near East; by John
L. Sorenson; Brigham Young University
A large number of cultural features
connected with ritual and ideology were present in both the ancient Near East
of the first and second millennia BC and the civilization of Pre-Classic and
later Mesoamerica.
3.
Roy
Rappaport (1979) Ecology, Meaning, and Religion. Berkeley, California: North
Atlantic Books. Essay 6: ‘The obvious aspects of ritual’, pp. 173-221
Certain meanings and effects are
intrinsic to the very structure of ritual, and ritual thus may impose, or seem
to impose, logical necessity upon the vagrant affairs of the world. It is in
its depths that ritual meets other symbolic forms-myth, poetry, graphic art,
architecture. It is in respect to its symbolism that myth and ritual are “one and the same”, to recall Leach’s
famous dictum of a quarter-century ago(1954:13ff.), an identity more recently
expressed by La Fontaine in the introduction to a volume of essays on the
interpretation of ritual.
4.
Ritualistic
Statutes; 2001 reprint of 1955 text.
The Ritual, the most sacred possession
of the Fraternity, is entrusted to the care and safe-keeping of the Consul, and
he is directed to keep and guard it zealously. Although the Ritual and
Ritualistic Statutes are closely related parts of our Governing Laws, each is a
separate entity. Each has its own procedure for amendment.
5. The Ritual Process. Structure and Anti-Structure by Victor
Turner. The Lewis Henry Morgan Lectures, 1966 presented at the University of
Rochester, Rochester, New York
In recent fields studies, anthropologists have been collecting myths and
rituals in the context of social action, and improvements in anthropological
field technique have produced data that are richer and more refined than
heretofore; these new data have probably challenged theoriticians to provide
more adequate explanatory frames.
www.monoskop.org/Turner_Victor_The_Ritual_Process_Structure_and_Anti-Structure.pdf
SHAKESPEARE’S
DRAMA
1. The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare’s History Plays.
Edited by Michael Hattaway
Generic classification was bound to be difficult given that most of the
English histories centre their action on the reign of a monarch, the narrative
ending with his death. It was therefore inevitable that ‘history’ plays were
going to be closely affiliated with tragedy.
Despite this evidence, for generations it was common to regard the union
of ‘history’ and ‘tragedy’ as an uneasy one: Aristotle, after all, had
contrasted ‘history’ with ‘poetry’ on the grounds that the latter was more
philosophic and universal, an observation endorsed by Sir Philip Sidney. A.C.
Bradley’s distinction between ‘historical’ and ‘pure’ tragedy led him to
exclude Antony and Cleopatra from his influential Shakespearean Tragedy (1904).
www.catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam033/2002070873.pdf
2. The Small World of Shakespeare’s Plays. James Stiller;
University of Glouchestershire, Daniel Nettle; The Open University, and Robin
I.M. Dunbar; University of Liverpool.
Drama, at least according to the Aristotelian view, is effective inasmuch
as it successfully mirrors real aspects of human behaviour. Dramas depend on
the human capacity for social cognition—being able to follow how everyone
relates to everyone else—and the relationships must be apprehended in real
time. Moreover, comprehension of plot is dependent on comprehension of
relationship.
CIVILIZATION
1. Toward a Muslim Constructive Role In the Contemporary World
Civilization by Dr. Fathi Osman
Without going through the variety of concepts and terminologies on the
subject, civilization simply means: the comprehensive development of the human
potential in all its dimensions: physical, intellectual, spiritual, moral and
psychological. To achieve this potential, civilizations strive to develop, utilize,
and conserve the natural resources, the benefits of which should fairly reach
the whole society, and bring about positive effects on the whole world.
Given this definition, it is obvious that a civilization has certain
requirements to deserve its name. After all, civilization is a collective
effort by the whole society, and its benefits cannot be restricted to few
individuals or be limited to certain groups. Civilization has to bear fruits to
all members of society. Besides although civilization development may not
affect all sides of society at the same level, it nonetheless, remains inclusive
and comprehensive. Civilization therefore has to maintain continuation and duration,
and it cannot be considered as such if it just emerged to disappear. Another merit
of civilization is that it has the potential of spreading to other societies,
and that it can be adapted when it influences others. This civilization merit
is being felt enormously in our times of amazingly speedy transportation of
persons and goods, and communication of information everywhere in the world.
2. Civilization and Its Discontents by Sigmund Freud
In my opinion, it arose from a background of profound long-standing
discontent with the existing state of civilization, which finally crystallized
into this judgment as a result of certain historical happenings. I believe I
can identify the last two of these; I am not learned enough to trace the links
in the chain back into the history of the human species.
The valid conclusion from this is merely that power over nature is not
the only condition of human happiness, just as it is not the only goal of
civilization? efforts, and there is no ground for inferring that its technical
progress is worthless from the standpoint of happiness.
EUROPEAN
1. Introduction to the European Union; Scenes from Europe at the
End of World War II
In 1945, many European cities lay in ruins and people were homeless.
Factories were destroyed, and bridges and railroads were bombed out. Without
their homes and livelihoods, many Europeans were left in despair, not knowing how
their lives could ever be normal again. It was going to take an entirely new
way of thinking to rebuild Europe and help the Europeans rebuild their lives:
people were going to have to work together peacefully.
Economists and statesmen in other European nations were also suggesting
the possibility that an integrated Europe could have both economic and
political advantages. In 1952, six European countries began the path toward a
unified Europe.
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