tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post5340457074308254219..comments2024-03-02T06:33:28.289-05:00Comments on Anthropology in Practice: Ashes to Ashes: Communitas and Religious SymbolsKrystal D'Costahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-5271450262512927292011-03-28T12:28:41.276-04:002011-03-28T12:28:41.276-04:00Hi Jonathan -
My understanding of communitas is t...Hi Jonathan -<br /><br />My understanding of communitas is that it is linked to liminality, so that moment when the sub-network asserts itself is when communitas is most apparent. The Eucharist is indeed a ritual that works to connect individuals with a deity, but it seems more a manifestation of the religious community rather than the religious communitas—if that makes sense. Communitas removes the individual from the larger social order and prepares them for a coming transitory phase. The discussions surrounding communitas that most clearly explain this are in Turner's <i>Ritual Process</i> and it is no surprise that they deal with rites of passage.<br /><br />I was not attempting to explain the cultural evolution of religion, but rather the experience of a particular religious moment. McNamara's idea of decentering is actually fairly close to some aspects of communitas so I can see some connections there. <br /><br />Rituals also help give us a sense of control, which I think may explain why they seem to permeate so many aspects of life—including religion. After all, religion asks us to have faith in something that we can't see or touch or experience in a tangible way. Rituals help us substantiate some of the belief that we're asked to offer.<br /><br />Thanks for your thoughts!<br />KrystalKrystal D'Costahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-40772057625598019522011-03-26T13:51:40.441-04:002011-03-26T13:51:40.441-04:00Hi Krystal,
I like the ideas you have here, espec...Hi Krystal,<br /><br />I like the ideas you have here, especially community vs. communitas. Can communitas apply to our connection with divine figures (in theistic religions) as well? Because some rituals - like the Eucharist - are not only focused on a connection with other people, but also with the deity.<br /><br />Furthermore, I don't see how this explains the cultural evolution of religion. I've just read a book by Patrick McNamara, <i>The Neuroscience of Religious Experience</i>, and he explains that ritual helps the individual move from a new self to an old self via a process of decentering - think William James' concept of the divided self. This use of ritual (as well as non-communal religious practices) as a tool for growth of the self explains why so many religions have it.<br /><br />Peace,<br /><br />JonathanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-38863965782581522932011-03-24T01:17:34.454-04:002011-03-24T01:17:34.454-04:00These were great questions, Will! And to clarify, ...These were great questions, Will! And to clarify, I only noted my corrections for transparency—I didn't want to convey that I had edited the content of your questions :)<br /><br />This was a difficult post for me to write because religions are such complex systems, which is partly why I tried to direct the conversation away from the ritual tied to religion, and demonstrate that we can understand ritual in terms of our daily lives. This opened the door for me to think about rituals differently—in terms of networks rather than beliefs.<br /><br />I am very glad you found these ideas interesting. Your anecdote about the young, female Muslim lawyer you met demonstrates the subjective nature of religion, which is what makes it such a complicated topic!Krystal D'Costahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-15065086893450822402011-03-22T15:55:00.587-04:002011-03-22T15:55:00.587-04:00Thank you for the excellent follow-up post. I appr...Thank you for the excellent follow-up post. I appreciate you correcting my comments before quoting them in your article. Obviously "religiosity" does not have a "u" in it. :-)<br /><br />I also really liked how you stripped the concept of ritual of its particular religious meaning. Rituals are present everywhere in our lives, as you said. Despite popular misconceptions, they are not absolutely linked to religion. That does depend on your definition of religion, but I digress.<br /><br />I never considered the differences between a ritual that signifies a transition and a ritual that signals belonging -- singing happy birthday or drinking coffee versus wearing green on St. Patrick's day or the team jersey to a sporting event. Very interesting.<br /><br />Before beginning my religious studies I often assumed that community was community was community. The difference between community and communitas never occurred to me. Even now, after I realized that there is a difference, they are sometimes hard to tell apart. I also have a hard time remembering that belonging to a communitas implies a different set of responsibilities than belonging to a community. I really enjoyed the way that you described the differences between the two!<br /><br />I want to follow up on one point that you made in this article. I had the chance to listen to a young, female. Muslim lawyer in DC who, in high school, decided that she would "cover". She explained her decision in very moving terms. Her parents are also Muslims and neither of them modeled the covering behavior or forced her into her decision. I gathered from her discussion that she was wearing it as a means to signify that she is part of a particular religious faith. She understood that they are linked to modesty, but modesty was far from her primary goal.<br /><br />Rituals (secular or mundane) have a variety of meanings. I tend to agree with S's priest: the sign "is only meaningful if you believe in the ritual itself. "<br /><br />Thanks again for your great post. Keep it up!!Will Hawkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14056822532705040985noreply@blogger.com