Religion

Describe the law of similarity?

- James G Frazer - some point of similarity between aspect of magic rite and desired goal - voodoo doll: doll or image of enemy, and by poking image hope to produce pain in victim's body

Describe ritual in Ronald Reagan's death?

- Ronald Reagan's death = state affair, which can help create sense of nationalism, pride, and belonging - helps dispose of body, and adjustment of surviving people to the loss - use of caisson, riderless horse, 21 plane flyover and gun salute, band played Hail the Chief, Battle Hymn of the Republic, and procession was led by a riderless horse w/ shoes pointed backwards - added meaning by holding it in Washington - social order modelled by who viewed the casket and why

What is fundamentalism? Why is it hard to define?

- assoc. w/ extremely literal interpretations of scripture, especially in prophetic books in the Bible - also assoc w/ terrorism and extremism

Describe magic in western society?

- believe modernization has eliminated magical thought in our culture - George Gmelch noted that - in baseball players - there are lucky jerseys, good luck fetishes (excuse me?) and other objects that become "good luck charms" - therefore, ordinary objects acquire power by being connected to good playing, following law of similarity - during a winning season, one pitcher had the same routine for three months bc he was so afraid that by changing anything he did before first winning game would produce a bad result

Describe Anthony F.C Wallace's understanding of religion?

- by 1950s, idea of primitive was rejected - anthropologists in US accepted that there was nothing simple minded in myths, legends, and religious practices in tirbal peoples - saw that Indian religions had changed and continued to change in context of white dom., and saw how Indian thinking helped make sense of these changes - Wallace looked at religious change in the Seneca (Iroquois) = said religious change observed best in changing religious ceremonies and rituals involving symbols assoc. w/ social, political and religious activities - his def of religion became the standard, because it linked beliefs w/ rituals - this bounded field of religion to fit w/ European and Am views, which emphasized supernatural

LECTURE: describe Geertz and symbolic meaning w/ religion?

- culture = web of symbolic meanings - religion = cultural system w/ five factors (subsystem of symbols) 1. religion = symbolic system 2. system establishes a long term mood in people sense of being, identity, and type of disposition to the world: endless dispositions to the world, fosters one particular way 3. mood formulates shared ideas about order of existence 4. religion enacts aura of factuality 5. factuality enforces perception of reality - if we say prayer works and god will help, I search for things to make that belief right, confirmation bias - experience of the world grants validity to belief about the world

What are the problems w/ Wallace's definition of religion?

- definition is static, no direction for understanding how/why these religious ideas change - Wallace's doc can help document what changed, but nothing else: esp. not waht difference the changes make for real people's life - also depicts deeply religious people as intellectually limited, and it doesn't explain why people hold on to religious beliefs

Describe the rise of religious fundamentalism?

- in US, religious organizations have become increasingly active in public life, especially among fundamentalists who advocate a return to traditional principles - TV preachers expand their broadcasts internationally, and religious orgs are deeply involved in elections and politics

How do religions differ around the world?

- societies w/ simple tech and small pops have different religions from those formed in states w/ centralized governments and sophisticated tech - no evidence that one form evolves into another - variety of religions seems to correspond w/ social orders in different scales of society

Describe shamanism and ecstatic religious experiences?

- tribes in Siberia whose religious rituals involved shamans - not political leaders, but were focused on healing and ensuring health and prosperity of community, using drum rituals to comm w/ spirits - especially found in N and S america, Africa, and Asia - traditions vary widely, but assoc/ w/ small scale societies w/ more or less egalitarian political structures

What is the difference between religion and moral philosophy?

- yes!! literally did a class on this lol - buddhism etc. -> however, there is a greater spiritual concept

What are CLifford Geertz's five elements of religion?

1. set of symbols which to act to 2. establish Powerful, Persuasive, Enduring moods and motivations by 3. formulating conceptions of general order of existence and 4. clothing these conceptions w/ aura of facts that 5. the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic

LECTURE: describe religion and change in 1950s?

- Anthony FC Wallace studied Seneca rituals - long discarded cultural evolutionism - definition included ritual: in religion it is beliefs and rituals concerned w/ supernatural beings, powers, and forces - religion is different bc it focuses on the supernatural - however, this ignores the practical effects of ritual on daily affairs - doesn't show us cultural significance of religion: is it something we only do on sacred days, or does religious rituals influence daily lives? does it guide us in the daily decisions we make about politics, child rearing etc.? - was interested in how religion is used in political independence

How does sociality affect religion?

- Brazilians turning out to see Pope Francis, the first LAtin Am ROman Catholic Pope - can see religion is important for the millions of believers, who are not alone, like a single nun on a retreat who prays quietly by herself - however, both experiences are religious, and they deal w/ worshipers understanding of world and importance of God in ppl's lives - both also get power from the social context, and being different from everyday life - social experience is what makes beliefs, organization of religion in everyday life, and the religious symbols have meaning for every person

LECTURE: How is Clifford Geertz symbolic interpretation applied to Christianity?

- Christianity's main premise is one of transformation - hinges Christianity on transformation that is historical - Jesus of Nazareth (historical figure that existed) and Jesus Christ (symbolic) that rose from the dead/ascended into heaven - millions accept this transformation as historical fact -symbolic meaning of this claim gives purpose to people, and guides their action - jump between historical and god-like figure: both human and god, question is how did we arise at this acceptance? How does a mortal become god - people the world over accept arguments w/o facts, and are willing to interpret phenomenon as evidence of arguments - main argument for this transformation is the overall significance of the world view it represents - an example of a worldview (unquestioned assumptions about reality/the world) - all humans created perfect, and then corrupted and fell, and reps corruption which leads to suffering. Few would disagree that there is suffering in the world. How do we grapple with that -> symbolic suffering interprets world in particular way, gives us a way to grapple with it, gives answers

Describe the French example of how religion allows people to willingly put themselves at risk for promoting some greater cause?

- France has seen various terror attacks (During Algerian struggle for independence, experiences attacks by right wing French nationalists opposed to Algerian independence) - motivations behind jihadist attacks however, are religious, and attackers are willing to die for their cause - first high profile jihadist attack came at the office of Charlie Hebdo, and was motivated by the fact magazine published cartoon w/ cover of Prophet Mohammed - prohibitions in the Quran of figural art, esp. prophet images, appear in some hadiths (sayings by Prophet and used as legal precedent where Quran says nothing) - some jihadists see the images as mocking of prophet and Islam, counter to free speech - Charlie Hebdo periodically published cartoons of Prophet, as it did w/ Pope, Jesus, political leaders - Al-Qaeda responded by publishing in propagandist magazine list of suitable targets, including staff at Charlie Hebdo - two rnothers of Arab descent born in Paris broke into offices, killing staff and shouting God is Great - they are radicalized by Al-Q jihadists in Yemen, and other radical Islamists - framed justification for attakcs as inspired by Islam = european leaders nad public held solidarity marches / Charlie Hebdo, adn wer eintended to mean standing for Western democratic ideals where individual freedom of speech is guaranteed, w/same reverence given to jihadists in defence of prophet

What is the law of contagion?

- James G Frazer = things that had once been in phys contact w/ one another could have an effect, even when they were no longer in contact - law of contact: mundane objects we've touched or produced as individuals carry part of our essence, and harmful things done to them by an ill-intentioned magician can hurt us

What are the world religions?

- Judaism - Christianity - Islam - claim to be universally significant to all people - general message applicable to all, and all were positive, uplifting messages for adherents - all also became state religions, whose religious message and ritual supported the government of the state

Describe an example of religion and civil rights?

- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King movement - called on clergy of faiths to march w/ him, but Alabama troopers launched an unprovoked attack - white Alabama man slew another civil rights worker - Lyndon Johnson signed Voting RIghts Act of 1965 into law, but officials refused to register non white citizens to vote, as did many Southern counties w/ large black majorities - white seminary student Jonathan Daniels marched w/ Dr. King in MArch, and in August participated in demo w/ Father Richard Morrisroe, a white Catholic priest from Chicago - these two and 27 other activists that marched w/ them were arrested and held for a week in jail - Daniels and Morrisore, upon their release six days later, walked down the street w/ two young black fem activists Ruby Sales and Joyce Bailey - As Daniels opened the door to the store that served black customers, Special Deputy Tom Coleman confronted him w/ a gun saying he would blow their godd**m brains out - Daniels pushed Sales to the ground and moved between Ruby and the gun, and Coleman fired pointblank, killed him, injured Morrisroe, but the two owmen were safe - this incident arose bc of conflicting beliefs

Describe the Yanomami shamanic healing?

- Seen in Chagnon and Asch's Magical Death - heals fam by ingesting hallucinogenic snuff fom a local plant - shaman assisted by spirit familiar, who helps him see other spirits and heal his children - in some pentecostal and charismatic Christian traditions, estatic experience assoc/ w/ shamans are encouraged by members through witnessing, singing, and speaking in tongues

LECTURE: describe three ritual settings through religion 4.0 description?

- Snake handlers --- in a publicly recognized domain --- symbols that tie into deeper meanings? --- they dance, and have a good time together like the Armin van Buuren dancer --- young pastor solidifies power by handling snakes, and if he isn't struck to death, god must endorse his position. Political act of sustaining power - Armin van Buuren's dancers --- also at centre of huge amount of dancers --- fact he is there and people will put him there and listen to his music and allow him to be "king of rhythm" is political --- what is the difference between the ritual? there are parishoners, attendees, symbols people interpret the same way: parishioners recognize snakes and dancers, and the handlers aren't dying = God, and in Van Buuren, dancers approve of his music by nodding heads and assenting to participate - can apply 4.0 as a viewpoint to what we consider religious and secular affairs - everything is cultural - UNBC's convocation ceremony --- practice at universities --- this year, may not have physical convocation --- ritual which we participate willfully and beliefs of institution recognized, as well as our place and other beings, and performative bc your place in universe is supposed to change as part of ceremony --- exit as someone who grads and becomes new self: re-enter society on another level --- highly transformative, and you don't enter as Jesus and come out as JC, but enter as someone kind ish employable, but the other side as worthy as recognition you previously didn't have - transformative power here - why does society agree this is real, and is actual power? - why do we believe it? - not really different from religious institutions - from standpoint, merely societal: we believe in same things and share same worldview - all are powerful rituals, involving transformation, social-collective reaffirmation, and general guidance about what is right and good)

Describe clan spirits and clan identities in New Guinea?

- all NG societies organized around fams/groups of fams that belong to same clan - clans assoc. w/ particular spirits - Ningerum = low pop density and are concerned w/ the spirits that occupy traditional lands - spirits have full range of human emotion, but are dangerous when angered or jealous (can cause sickness or death to people from other clans, or among children and elders of own) - when they are happy and well attended w/ gifts of food *esp. pork) they bring good harvest in garden, success in hunting, healthy fams - all Ningerum rituals emphasize dealin w/ clan-based spirits - pigs sacrificed at major fests for spirits to honour them

How has Asia produced important world religions?

- all of their religions reflect histories of social stratification and universalistic belief, like the jewish, christian and islam traditions - hinduism was polytheistic religion emerging in India - like the polytheistic religions of middle east, hinduism supported authority of local princes and kinfs, focusing on acheiving good relations w/ people and gods - Siddhartha emerged as founder of Buddhism, and according to buddhist traditions, Buddha was awakened to misdeeds and promoted to life of reflection and active commitment to buddhis path, accepting Buddha, dharma, and Sangha - unlike other religions, buddhism encourages a striving towards greater enlightenment, so more like a moral code of conduct - emphasizes meditation and devotional acts aimed at turning people from worldly desires

Describe Victor Turner's analysis of the rituals?

- all rituals invoke symbols that convey the underlying meaning of ritual - symbols = colors, objects, actions, events, works - these symbols point to, suggest, or take meaning from myths or sacred texts known to participants

How is religion linked to political and social action?

- american churches responded to social change by challenging it, becoming increasingly political and often supporting one political party or another - in almost ebery society, political and religious institutions are not only engaged with one another, they are the same institutions - religious values, symbols, and beliefs typically either challenge or uphold particular social order

LECTURE What is ritual?

- definition: deeply symbolic, stylized, repetitive, set apart actions - first home buyer example: go to bank and have a meeting about a mortgage - symbolic? --- those who have desired to own a home, they are looking forward to have meeting w/ financial advisor and bank representative to become eligible to get the house - stylized? --- particular set of rule follows, know kind of image you have to portray - repetitive? --- yeah - set apart action? --- it is a set apart action, it is something you pondered about, not a first time home owner or buyer --- definition of ritual within certain domain

Describe the ancient Hebrew religion?

- different from other ancient places bc it focused on single god Yahweh - Yahweh began as local deity, worshpped and venerated by one of the tribes of Israel that became ancient hebrew - when hebrews established god of israel, shift to monotheism began

Do the same principles of action apply to atheist and religiously minded people?

- everyone thinks they should act and be "good" - that is defined differently but there is the same idea of being lawful, kind to others, etc. - can we study actions of atheists and religiously minded people in the same way? - do atheists have an equivalent religion? Religious and equally cultural?

Describe ancestral spirits in PNG?

- families are organized into clan affiliation - each clan has its ancestral spirits who inhabit land ---interwoven w/ clan and where they reside --- spirits reside w/ living descendants, and by inhabiting traditional land that belonged to the people who lived there reaffirmed belonging of people in that land - spirits govern game animals and weather/harvests ---ancestors deified, better be on good terms w/ them! - families appease these spirits to affect fortune --- as they do so, will assure perpetuance and future of your own clan --- ties together people and land: people engage in the essence of the land, and it is not human independent spirits that are the essence, but the spirits of own people: you are the land --- bc of this relationship, not big dualism between body and material or spiritual/not spiritual - good example of correlation between social structure and religious form

Describe what Sir James G. Frazer researched/coined about magic?

- he coined term sympathetic magic - showed how sympathetic magic works on two principles: law of similarity and law of contagion, which involved S magic bc person or object that was acted upon did so in sympathy with magical action

What did Arnold van Gennep outline about rituals?

- he outlined the structure of rituals marking passage of individual from one status to another - includes marriage rituals, rituals marking transition from childhood to adulthood - initiations are common, and we carry them out in 'sweet sixteens,' graduations, and teh like - funerals are another, more transition for the surviovrs

Describe ritual and magic LECTURE?

- heart of ritual (spec. religious) lies magic - magic: an explanatory system of causation that doesn't follow naturalistic explanation - sympathetic magic --- two kinds of magic: contagion (magic of touch), or similarity - hair locke = contagion. Magic here operates on assumption that some element of your essence is in something you touched, can evoke something on it (burn it, twist it, bop it) and will affect you - voodoo doll = similarity. fashion and object of person you try to affect, living person by way of similarity: doll has certain aspects that resemble the person, and then poke it, but doll might not have touched the person

What does Islam illustrate?

- how local monotheistic religion can become universalized through set of beliefs and social order - emerged when prophet Muhammad received holy scripture from Allah - non Muslims learned prophet had a christian wife who lived peaceably among Muslims, Jews, and Christians, until Jewish tribe attempted assassination - jesus, mary, john , moses, abraham and adam are discussed in quran, and are considered prophets - from muslim POV, muslims, Christians and jews all have a scripture received through prophets from god - islam feel god's message was most accurately received by prophet muhammad, and the other two didn't get the whole story

How does atheism fit into religious discussion?

- if all humans have worldview, then everyone has some sort of perspective on life analogous to religion - secular people must also have symbolic systems that give meaning and purpose to their lives - some secular rituals that celebrate the state or nation, particular occupations, or other identities may construct worldview similar to someone who is religious - Geertz's definition designed to be as useful for secular worldviews w/ rich arrays of secular symbols as for traditional religions

Describe magical thought in non-Western societies?

- informants that live in communities where magic is practiced accept magical explanations as real, and its often dangerous or frightening - magic has goals, which are usually out of reach of taking direct action (ie, have to go peripheral) - techniques for achieving these goals (whether having a successful hunt or attracting mans) include incantations, spells, unusual behaviours, and manipulation of any number of special objects to cause a desired event to occur

What is the anthropologist view of the clash of civilizations justification of the French attacks?

- misses the point, these situations can be traced to tensions that have arisen over discrimination, poverty, limited access to education, and other inequities among Muslims vs the better financial, social, and political conditions of non Muslims - terrorist ideas are religious and political acts using religious symbols -when European leaders joined solidarity marches, hey reinforced idea islam was at war w/ western values - jihadists and antisocial actions and world leaders walks create meanign through social action, offering model of the world and model for how world should be

How did scholars in the 19th century confront religion?

- most considered mystical views of people around the world as non-scientific bs, and adherents were considered to be people of limited intellectual capacity - by 1870s, w/ rise of anthro, scholars began to look systematically for theories to help make sense of religious belief s

Do westerners believe in magic?

- most of us would write magic off as primitive, enlightened as we are by "science" - aside from being superstitious, we still believe: - same attracts same: "dress for success" --- no proof that if you dress a certain way you become successful, but we still teach it lollll - pretence is transformative: fake it til' you make it" --- have to lead people to believe you are good at it, and then become good at it -> ok but when are we good --- can't put our finger on the transformation - that we can speak or act things into reality (performativity): I pronounce you hubby and wife) --- a vicar, priest etc. would have said this, after proclamation two people are now recognized as status of life: status has suddenly changed, result of someone's pronunciation --- spoken into by someone w/ power: operating on distinction between seen and unseen - where does magic begin and end

What drives religious forms?

- no predictable unilinear evolutionary curve from simple to complex religions --- could be tracked on where it is on evol development, cultural evolutionism ideas (abandoned) --- primitive religions, as society is more complex and populations grew and there were more empires, political structure grew and affected cosmology, so it is intricate in theology and rituals -small scale societies tend to have fam-oriented religious institutions ---how much should we invest in making religious complex - highly stratified societies often have more complex religious institutions --- but, does not mean every highly stratified societies stick to these, small scale have been evangelized w/ very intricate small scale societies w/ small commonality w/ pre-missionary belief ways --- same in highly stratified: avg citizen has understanding of complex beliefs, but people might abandon and return to rudimentary spiritualism

Describe Clifford Geertz's understanding of religion?

- proposed a definition that could explain why beliefs are deeply held and motivational, to the point of risking self-harm - argued that religion was a cultural system (system of symbols) w/ five elements - centres on idea that symbols seem real and factual - systems of meaning that these symbols generate can create a sense of moral purpose or meaning in people's lives, and move them to action - offer set of unquestioned worldview - PROBLEM: definition of religion reads as if he is describing lone believer, with only their moods and thoughts - key feature of religion though, is that they are rooted in social behaviour and social action, and by acting tog. comm of believers accept symbolic interpretations of the world as tangible

describe polytheism and monotheism in ancient societies in Egypt?

- provided similar model of social order replicated by rituals -pharaoh was king ruling over vast empire - everythign about egyptian ritual (as well as construction of great pyramids and structures like sphinx) celebrated the hierarchy of officials and priests,w / pharaoh as divine figure at head of state and religious organizations - not only divine figure: egyptians said there were many other, more powerful deities, all of which demanded attention of humans, or they might harm human world - nearly all ancient societies and Mediterranean were polytheistic and had complex state rituals to promote image of state and human leaders as superior to ordinary epople

LECTURE: describe religion as a worldview (or 4.0 religion)

- rather than subscribe to either of the previous approaches, this approach is combo! - accepts some things as more powerful as humans --- not intrinsic, something greater than humans - actions grounded in this acceptance --- practices and forms of behaviour that aligns self w/ that acceptance - symbols that reinforce this acceptance - shared spaces dedicated to celebrating this acceptance together --- social and collective act --- concerned w/ sociality and community --- not limited to domains we consider as religious --- can apply lens to any cultural context

LECTURE: what is Sir Edward B. Tylor's definition of religion?

- religion is tied to belief in intangible beings - this belief = confusion (people in dreams seen as spirits in waking world) - if you run into someone in the dream, they would exist outside of dream as spirits - spirit persons in the world are applied to animism - animism (inanimate objects are animated by spirits) = part of confusion about spirits being manifestations in waking world - cultural evolutionist perspective - evolution: multiple spirits > few demi-gods > monotheism (reflects cultural evolution of political structure) -paralleled w/ other cultural evolutionary processes: from egalitarian -> single king and queen, paralleled by how people see non-human world/religion - human political structure mirrored by cosmology about unseen world

What are the key features of rituals?

- repetitive - stylized (set order of words or actions) - has special significance

What are the key themes common to all conservative religious movements?

- see themselves as fighting back against corrosive effects of secular life on what they envision as a purer way of life, and a WV that prescribes "proper" gender roles, sexualities and education 2. will engage in political and military battles to defend their ideas about life and death, including issues that emerge about abortion etc. 3. work against others in the process of reinforcing identity and building solidarity in community 4. passionate, especially those who believe they are called to carry out God or Allah's purposes against challengers

compare inter gen brand commitment/loyalty and sense of identity?

- similar to settler totemism - kinds of commitments people make towards brands, and brands co-estab individual identities - surely the totem of clan is > sig than a brand? Yes, but.. - sig and symbolism in certain brands for certain individuals, even intergen - North Am: brands like ford vs chevy. some people are committed to ford and would ever own a vehicle that isn't a Ford. identity interwoven w/ that - Mercedes v BMW - eastern europe 1990s (and even today) there is a juxtaposition between mercedes and BMW. Says something about social standing: mercedes driven by well to do, people who drive these are on the right side of govt, law abiding. Business people affiliated w/ mafia and might be in the grey, drive BMW, assoc. selves and been assoc w/ BMW -kinds of people attracted and committed to brands are different, deep disagreements about what is right -- intergenerational: would never consider driving opposite brands bc it goes against your fam values

LECTURE What makes an action a ritual, and what point does ritual become a religious act?

- sometimes unusual, set aside 10 - 15 min that is set apart from the rest of life, and is a set of movements - could be "religious" coffee drinker where you don't go a day w/o it, but that isn't religion, and cafe isn't a gathering place of worship - from an anthro perspective - what makes it religious? -snake handlers are seen as religious practitioners, but there are non-religious snake handlers - there is a clergy, priests etc. a power structure that is religious - set aside from mundane life, and is set on Sunday = holy day in West - what they are doing is just handling snakes - a lot of people do it - is it bc they are in a religious space? connection to bible? - dancers and performers are not religious ( but there are religious dancers and performers) - not recognized as a religious act, in another public venue - narratives draw parallels to pseudo religious language though in the background, DJ a shaman/priest etc. and dancers are all in white, symbolic language under hospices of art/performance - not orthodoxically religious - but churches have dancers etc. - who decides, and on what basis?

LECTURE: what is a ritual?

- stylized performances involving symbols that are assoc. w/ social, political, and religious activities IMPORTANT INGREDIENTS: - style (follows set of rules) - symbolic (pointing to set meaning, common agreement. Coffee reps people, the kind of people they are and place in society, and coffee means different things - we assoc w/ coziness, hanging out w/ friends) - meaning (anchored in wider society and its power flows - who drinks what kind of coffee? webs of meanings we position stuff in) HOW UNIQUE ARE THESE? - do they make given ritual religious? - no, not really lol

Describe Edward B. Tylor's definition of religion?

- suggested religion had to do w/ belief in spiritual beings - primitive religions based on fundamental errors in thinking - reasoned everyone dreamed, so posited that primitive people misinterpreted dreams as reality, transforming the characters into souls or spirits - called this animism - the idea that trees, rocks or hills have spirits and souls were same "primitive" misunderstanding - as societies evolved and grew more complex, supernatural gave way to demigods and mythical heroes, god and goddesses, single, all powerful God, and finally, science

What does Angelique Haugerud think about the response to the Charlie Hebdo shootings?

- symbolically supported the notion that liberal democracies were engaged in a clash of civilizations between WEstern Europe, America, Canada, and Islamic world - anthropologists reject this, saying the idea foreign enemies exist and must be overcome allows leaders to take advantage of own people, resources, and free speech

LECTURE: definition of religion?

- textbook = symbolic system that is socially enacted through rituals and other aspects of social life that relate to ultimate issues of humankind's existence IMPORTANT INGREDIENTS: - symbolic system, socially enacted (need ways to make it real, invoke symbols through actions, reinforced through sociality) concerned w/ human existence (cosmological component: interested in reality and what is -> concerned with our place in the world, where do we fit?) - does the existence set us apart? to what extent are all three of these ingredients UNIQUENESS OF FACTORS? - all of culture is very much concerned w/ human existence (politics, economy, kinship, we reproduce as as a society through kinship, language) - question not answered even w/ definition

LECTURE: growing up, how were you led to think about organized religion?

- that it was a "thing", but not our thing hah - my parents grew up Catholic, but we never practiced, we are agnostic, we didn't really practice but we respected it was a belief, and we are slightly spiritual - there is a religious aspect outside of my beliefs

Describe how, in Benin, ritual symbols reinforce social hierarchy?

- the oba (King) was believed to be divine - the fiercest animal, the leopard, became symbol of royal power, projecting image of Oba's power over the people - palace was model for structure of cosmos and social order - ppl w/ higher political and ritual power occupied central areas, commoners only allowed in marginal parts of the palace - rituals, royal palaces, and royal art provided model of divine nature of ruler, supporting social order where ruler dominated over all others

What is striking about fundamentalism for anthropologists?

- unlike small scale religion, fundamentalism doesn't support existing political order - membership and sense of belonging to a congregation or denomination is important feature of religious organizations in industrial societies, where it is easy to feel anon - part of power of religious orgs is that they bring ppl together, provide them w/ social support, and give them an identity

LECTURE Describe totemism in FN?

- was and continues to be widespread among NAm FN - distinguishes between religious (careful, bc this is a Western idea) and secular totemism (FN vs settler use) - symbol of common (often mythical) ancestry - reps clans, lineages, tribes, moieties -mystery that the people of clan descended from the animal and raven, and others would say (levi strauss) more important to understand how your symbol relates to another, bc that tells you how you relate - totemic symbol of clan or group is all about identity, a sense of belonging, knowing who one belongs to and is responsible for

Describe syncretism and local adaptations?

- we like to think religion or formal moral codes as cohesive - in actuality, even world religions interweave w/ local movements - Buddhism in south Siberia, mixed w/ local mountain cults and there exists convos about shamanism - tried to expand into other geographic regions - even world religions coincide w/ local movements

How does the notion of culture derive from understanding of religion as a cultural system?

- when culture is about how people naturalize certain meanings and actions as normal, argument that culture consists of created symbols that are given meanings by social life, including religious contexts - like Geertz's religion, people's understandings of world through culture = uniquely realistic and factual - symbols describe a MODEL of how world is, and model FOR how world should be

Describe the way local political structures were designed to reflect cosmological order?

1. Oba's (king) palace in benin (nigeria) -a built symbolic hierarchy --- material manifestation to see the unseen world and power --- claims of voracity in unseen world is anchored in a place it couldn't be questioned, powerful approach to politics --- kings = deities, unseen and seen world permeate each other -- leopard reps symbol of superior power 2. christianity: eve comes from Adam's rib (Genesis) - sustains gender inequality - this text is considered divine, because text is considered divine, it sustains the gender inequality - in west european mind, this indicated hierarchy and that women were less - symbols are subject to interpretation - as society changes, divine symbol interpretation changes, and hierarchies can be inverted and adjusted

LECTURE: describe the Oscars through the current anthro lens of religion

1. acceptance of something greater than human? --- something that we venerate and worship, represented by stars that come in on red carpet --- aura of supernatural --- something these individuals have achieved, and we are here bc this person has It 2. Actions grounded in acceptance --- stardom is enacted --- practices sustain the more than human, and are there to help appreciate it 3. symbols --- spotlight above the head: very angelic --- something special that deserves illumination --- human being cloaked in and enveloped in the thing we all seek (accomplishment, recognition etc) 4. shared spaces dedicated to celebrating this acceptance --- hello, the entire OScars: seating, tabling, who goes and doesn't

LECTURE: What makes ritual religious? Give two examples, and say which is religious, and why?

Is religion different from culture? rituals are in various contexts, they are usually a cultural practice w/ particular set of rules bday party: agree on what steps are part of a bday party for a child way we get up to scrape cars is a kind of winter: know what to do, how to do it, cultural meanings associated with this, esp. w/ sense of identity and what it means to be a northerner RECENT examples: Snake handling in churches of Appalachia Sensation White, Armin van Buuren, 20 years ago

Describe Shamanism?

Shaman: mediator between seen and unseen worlds (upper, middle and lower) - NOT RELIGIOUS: NO DOGMA OR WRITTEN CODE, - non political, inherited "calling" often against will of office bearers --- have highly prolific neo-Shaman movements where you can be taught to be a Shaman --- cannot sell a calling or buy one, and can't wait for it, it just is something you are 'cursed' w/ it --- through miraculous way you don't die, a burden more than a good thing, obedience to be servants and helpers - spirit familiar: helper spirit(s) often inherited ---entity that struck allegiance and can venture into unseen world and be messengers, access to other sentient, but invisible being - sometimes involve trance, more often not though --- over-emphasized, a lot not involving trance --- if you cannot practice w/o the trance, you are not Shaman - rectifies relations in the unseen world to affect relations in the seen --- sickness, shaman will go on voyage in unseen world to see what kind of relationships have been hurt, should something be paid back? What needs to be ordered in unseen world to order seen world? - Jesus is a shaman: sins needed to be forgiven, rectifying something in unseen before fix ins een world

What is syncretism?

amalgamations or attempted amalgamations of dif. religions, cultures, or schools of thought - practical example comes from South Siberia - predom shamanist, people who live there in communities, in 50s - 80s, there are buddhist monks that came to the mountains and espoused the dharma - Buddhism, esp. tibetan, grew out of shaman tradition, so is shamanic -spread from Tibet into Mongolia and South Siberia, and encountered local forms of Shamanism, and various mountain cults throughout - won't accept the new religion, unless it is relevant to daily needs of people and doesn't deny access to original spirits? - tibetan calendars rewritten to adapt to adherence to mountain cults in the mountains where it establishes self - local practitioners will only talk of their own experiences

How does this textbook's def. of religion imply elements early scholars emphasized?

def: symbolic system that is social enacted through rituals and other aspects of social life relating to issues of humanity's existence ELEMENTS 1. existence of things more powerful than humans. Situates place of humans in the universe 2. beliefs and behaviours surround, support, and promote acceptance of underlying idea that things more powerful than humans exist 3.symbols that make these beliefs and behaviours more intense and genuine 4. social settings, usually w/ important rituals, that people share while experiencing power of symbols of belief

Describe totemism in NAmerica?

- people identified w. particular animals, claiming to be descended from them - indicated clans, lineages, tribes and other social groups w/ certain emblems: animals, plants, places, and geographic/meterological features - help create social cohesiveness by stressing group identity, focusing group and private rituals on totems - some Nativ Am socieites employ colour symbolism,d irectional symbols and species as totems - kind of see in Am culture: sports temas named after animals or social group, creating a sense of belonging to social order - however, in traditional societies, they truly believe themselves to be related to the animal