Religion As a Cultural System

THE INTERPRETATION OF CULTURES sciencesas these men themselves looked, for analytical ideas. And it occurs to me, also, that these two special(a) characteristics ar not unrelated. If the anthropological study of religion is in occurrence in a state of general stagnation, I incertitude that it allow for be set going again by producing more minor variations on classical theoretical themes. unless one(a) more meticulous case in stop for such well-established propositions as that ancestor worship supports the jural authority of elders, that fount rites are means for the formation of sexual identity and big status, that ritual groupings reflect political oppositions, or that myths provide charters for brotherly institutions and rationalizations of cordial privilege, may well finally change a great many people, both inside the profession and out, that anthropologists are, similar theologians, firmly dedicated to proving the indubitable. In art, this solemn red uplication of the achievements of authorized masters is called academicism; and I think this is the proper be for our malady also.

Only if we revoke, in a phrase of queer of beasts Steinbergs, that sweet mind experience of accomplishment which comes from parading habitual skills and palm ourselves to problems sufficiently unclarified as to make discovery possible, can we bank to achieve work which will not just be born that of the great men of the offset quarter of this century, but barrack it.1 The way to do this is not to abandon the established traditions of social anthropology in this field, but to widen them. At least four-spot of the contributions of the men who , as I say, dominate our fancy to the poin! t of parochializing itDurkheims discussion of the nature of the sacred, Webers Verstehenden methodology, Freuds parallel between personal rituals and bodied ones, and Malinowskis exploration of the distinction between religion and common senseseem to me inevitable starting-points for any useful anthropological...If you want to jump a full essay, order it on our website: OrderEssay.net

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