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Rites of Passage
C:\Eudora\Attach\319-2001Syllabus.wpd Religion & Culture 319 / Anthropology 319 Term : Fall; Year : 2001; Day / Time : Wednesdays 7:00–9:50 p.m.; Place : Woods 4-
Instructor
Dr. Ron Grimes, Office Location: Woods: 5-115B E-mail : rgrimes@WLU.ca Office phone : 884-0710, ex. 3085 Office hours : Fridays 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. or by appointment. Note: I can also meet with you after class (but not before class). The most efficient way to contact me is by e-mail, since I check it a couple of times a day whether I’m working at home or at the office. Getting and returning phone messages is slower.
Course Description
From the Calendar : “An introduction to ritual theory and to selected rites of passage such as births, weddings, funerals, and initiations.” Rites of passage are ways of marking major transitions, of exiting an old way of life and beginning a new way of life. This course is an introduction to the study of ritual, concentrating specifically on rites of passage, both traditional and experimental, and largely, but not exclusively, in North America. We will study comparative materials from a variety cultures and a diversity of religious traditions in order to understand cultural and religious ways of negotiating major lifecycle transitions. The 2001 version of the course will be run on an experimental teamwork model focusing on ritual construction.
Course Goals
1 To survey the ways people around the world, particularly in North America, use ritual to negotiate lifecycle transitions. 2 To understand the ritual process by engaging in group construction of a rite of passage. 3 To provide a forum in which to reflect on your own and other people's experience of passage. 4 To introduce controversial issues and persistent problems in ritual theory and practice.
Course Outline (12 sessions )
Codes: A = Anthology reading to prepare (by selection number) [see below for list] B = Book reading to prepare: Deeply into the Bone reading (by chapter) G = time allotted for group meetings *** = assignment due**
Sep 12 What kind of course is this? What is a rite? What do rites do? What kinds of rites are there? What is a rite of passage? A: 2.1 - 2.3, 3.1- 3. B: Introduction
19 What are the components of a rite? What are the dimensions of a rite? How is ritual related to religion, cosmology, myth, ethics, and institutions? A: 1.1 - 1.
G: ½ hour
16 Where do rites come from? How do you construct a rite? How do you evaluate a rite? A: 1.4 - 1. G: ½ hour *** Group lists and proposals due**
Oct 3 Rites of birth and early childhood A: 6.1 - 6. B: 1 G: ½ hour
10 Initiation and coming of age rites A: 4.1 - 4. B: 2 G: ½ hour *** Mid-term evaluations**
17 Rites of courtship and marriage A: 5.1 - 5. B: 3 G: ½ hour
24 Death rites A: 7.1 - 7. B: 4 G: ½ hour
31 Passages less commonly marked B: 5, Conclusion G: ½ hour
**Nov 7 *Group presentations (Groups 1, 2 & 9) 14 *Group presentations (Groups 3, 4 & 10) 21 Group presentations (Groups 5, 6 & 11) 28 Group presentations (Groups 7, 8 & 12)
**Dec 5 Group projects (in binders) and evaluations due in my office by 10:00 a.m. No class on this day, and no final exam in this course.
Required Readings (available in WLU Bookstore)
- Course reader: Rites of Passage Anthology [see below for list]
- Ronald L. Grimes, Deeply into the Bone
Note: Readings are assigned for class sessions to which they pertain, but films, exercises, and discussions may take up the class time. So only a few of the readings will be discussed in class. Nevertheless, you are required to read, digest, and relate them to your project, especially in the discussion / commentary section.
On Reserve in the Library
Format for Evaluating Others in Your Group
Evaluation of _________________ (name of group member, legibly, last name first; one page for each member) Mark I believe this person earned: _______% How I would rank order this person (1 st, 2 nd, etc.): ______
- What this person did (or did not do), insofar as you can remember.
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
Ritual Construction Projects
All rites are constructed by someone, but traditionally the “builders” have been anonymous, collective, and in the distant past. The traditional version of the construction process was slow but integral. Today in North America people are beginning to construct, invent, reinvent or create rites. This version of the ritual construction process is sometimes creative, but it can also be self-conscious, hurried, or mechanical. Each way has its virtues and vices. The most basic decisions you must make are (1) what group to create or join and (2) what occasion or rite you wish to work on.
These are some of the more conventional rites of passage familiar to us in North America:
5 Birth and early childhood 5.1 baby shower 5.2 birth rite 5.3 naming, blessing, presentation 5.4 circumcision 5.5 starting school 6 Coming of age: middle childhood to adulthood 6.1 graduating from school(s) 6.2 initiation as a teenager 6.3 coming out (e.g., debutante balls) 6.4 initiation as an adult 6.5 initiation into group membership; joining an organization; entering a profession (e.g., clergy, monk, doctor, etc.), ordination 7 Courtship / marriage 7.1 engagement 7.2 wedding 8 Death 8.1 funeral 8.2 cremation, burial 8.3 memorials, commemorations
These are examples of less conventional occasions that might receive ritual attention:
9 conception (love-making for the purpose of conceiving) 10 adoption 11 entering school 12 same-sex commitment 13 coming out (as gay or lesbian) 14 becoming friends or partners 15 a silent wedding 16 a coming-of-age rite for mentally challenged people
17 passage commemorations or renewals (e.g., anniversaries, renewals of wedding vows) 18 entering the work force; leaving the work force; taking a new job; leaving an old job 19 taking office 20 marking a big success or failure 21 abortion 22 giving up a child for adoption 23 divorce, end of relationship 24 severe illness 25 healing, recovery from illness 26 becoming recognized an elder 27 reaching a certain age (e.g., 30, 40, 50, 65) 28 retirement 29 un-ordination 30 leaving home 31 coming home, returning home (e.g., from war, from university) 32 emigration (or immigration) 33 moving 34 empty nest (last child leaving home)
And these are examples of ritual occasions that are perhaps less familiar to North Americans:
35 an alternative to current female “circumcision” rites 36 a repatriation rite for First Nations’ remains 37 a reburial rite for First Nations’ remains 38 disaster rites, e.g., funeral for children killed in a playground massacre or teens killed in an auto accident 39 interfaith or inter-ethnic weddings, e.g., for a (e.g, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.) bride and a (e.g., Muslim, Christian, etc.) groom
Submitting Ritual Construction Projects
These are the components of a project (with their approximate worth in parentheses):
- Proposal / introduction : At first your group writes a proposal a page or so long. Then, as you get near the end of the project, you revise it, turning it into a longer introduction in which you describe the project, saying what the rite is and what task(s) it is designed to accomplish (there may be secondary as well as primary tasks). Describe the participants, specifying why and/or how each person (or each group) is going to participate. Lay out where and when the rite will take place (or when it took place if you choose to set it in the past). If the rite draws on a specific tradition, say what it is and how this rite is related to that tradition. The more specific you are, the better you will be able to construct a relevant rite. (responded to but not marked)
- Ritual script(s) : This is the scenario, the bare-bones description of things to be done and said. There may be one or more scripts, for instance, one for participants and another one for leaders that lays out the behind-the-scenes actions. I strongly suggest that you walk through the scenario as if rehearsing it. By doing so, you will likely discover problems you’ve overlooked. (25%)
- Discussion, commentary : Provide a running commentary on the meanings and effects of the words, actions, objects, etc., of the rite. Then provide a discussion of the construction process, problems encountered, ideas rejected, reasons for choices made, sources read, events observed, and topics discussed. In the discussion you must relate your reading and research to the rite you constructed. The commentary demonstrates that your script is researched, well informed, and thoughtful. Use whatever format you consider most effective. One way is to use footnotes for brief commentary, endnotes to document sources, and an essay format for the general discussion. (25%)
(^43) Division of labor. It’s a good idea to sort out jobs quickly and clearly, and then to modify job descriptions as the tasks proliferate or become more obvious. These are some of tasks that may need doing: finding books and articles; writing annotated bibliographies; attending ceremonies and reporting on them; telling stories about rites; writing commentary; summarizing arguments; identifying and debating issues; interviewing; searching the Internet; public speaking; audio or video taping and editing. 43.1 If you feel that the work in your group is not fair or has become imbalanced, please communicate that to me—the sooner the better.
44 Documentation. Since the project is process oriented, it is a good idea to keep a journal documenting your own and your group’s process. At the very least, keep notes on the meetings and discussions. Consider audio or video taping them. When it comes time for the class presentation, you might find it useful to play a clip from a discussion or walk-through.
45 Integration. Group projects need lots of integration; otherwise, you’ll produce a mere collection of things. So be sure that one or two people are responsible for editing, synthesizing, and, thinking about the overall direction and the final product.
46 Imagination. It’s important to organize and divide up the work, but it’s just as important to brainstorm, play, contemplate, and imagine. Work on your rite, but play with it too. Try being the mamma. Then try playing baby. And be the pop too.
47 Conflict. Where there are humans (or other animals) there is competition and conflict. Use the mediation skills you learned in elementary school. Minimize the gossip. Speak directly to people who are dominating or loafing. Call me into the fray if the scrapes get wearing, intractable, or contentious.
Rites of Passage: Key Words for Searching
GENERAL THEORETICAL WORKS ON RITES OF PASSAGE OR THE LIFE CYCLE
Key words: ritual, passage, life cycle (or lifecycle), rites of passage, rites de passage, Turner, Victor, van Gennep (or Gennep), human development, liminality, communitas
BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD RITES
Key words: birth, childbirth, parturition, couvade (simulated or sympathetic pregnance symptoms acted out by the father), parenting, mothering, fathering, parenting, abortion, midwifery, stillbirth, naming, bonding, menarche, menstruation, menopause, lactation, puerperium (post-partum adjustment period), churching (reincorporation of mothers into a church after birth), lithotomy position (lying on the back to give birth), paternity, maternity, kinship, descent, caesarean section, godparents, sponsors
INITIATION RITES: Puberty, Becoming an Adult
Key words: initiation, secrecy, puberty rites, circumcision, transition rites, clitoridectomy, manhood, womanhood, baptism, education, religious education, education, sponsors, teachers, teachers and students, upanayana (initiation in Brahmanical Hinduism)
INITIATION RITES: Ordination, Succession, Secret Societies
Key words: ordination, succession, status, office, priest, priestess, priesthood, secret societies, sororities, fraternities, sodalities, cults
MARRIAGE RITES
Key words: marriage, weddings, bride, groom, in-laws, etiquette, meals, matchmakers, arranged marriage, shivaree, kinship, exchange, gifts, gift-giving, bride price, mock weddings, clothing, dress, sexuality, gender, honeymoons, wedding poetry, wedding music, sealing (Mormon wedding practice)
DEATH RITES
Key words: death, funerals, mortuary customs, mortuary law, mourning, grief, death lore, burial, internment, embalming, cryonic suspension, cremation, crematorium, aging, illness, suicide, cemeteries, specific cemeteries (e.g., Flanders Field, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), tombs, morgues, tombstones, gravestones, ossuaries (bone repositories), commemorative plaques or monuments (e.g., Vietnam War Memorial), death certificates, obituaries (death notices), eulogies (funeral orations), autopsy, death benefits (e.g., inheritance, insurance money), funeral homes (or funeral parlors), funeral directors, caskets, ancestors, ancestor cults, veneration of the dead, burial remains, the archaeology of death, relics, sati (or sutee) [the burning of a spouse on a funeral pyre--a now-illegal practice in India], state funerals, baptism for the dead (a Mormon practice), funerals of famous people (e.g., Pope John XXIII, Abraham Lincoln), military funerals, lynching, execution, war, celebrations of death or the dead (e.g., Halloween, All Souls Day, All Saints Day, Memorial Day, Remembrance Day, Day of the Dead), viaticum (food for the dying--Roman Catholic), obsequies (synonym for funeral rites), effigies
EXPERIMENTAL AND NON-TRADITIONAL RITES OF PASSAGE
Key words: women in ritual; theatre, ritual in; self-generated rites; the occult; wicca; performing ethnography; performance studies
Notes on using 202 King St., 1-01, the Ritual Studies Lab
7.1 Olivelle, Patrick. 1987. “Rites of Passage: Hindu Rites,” Encyclopedia of Religion 12: 387-392. New York: Macmillan.
7.2 Knobel, Peter. 1987. “Rites of Passage: Jewish Rites,” Encyclopedia of Religion 12: 392-398. New York: Macmillan.
8 Coming of Age / Initiation
8.1 Ortiz, Alfonso. 1977. “On Becoming a Pueblo Sacred Clown.” Unpublished paper.
8.2 Gill Sam D. 1977. “Disenchantment: A Religious Abduction.” Native American Religious Action: A Performance Approach to Religion , 58-75. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press.
8.3 Crapanzano, Vincent. 1980. “Rite of Return Circumcision in Morocco.” The Psychoanalytic Study of Society , 9: 15-36. Ed. Werner Muensterberger. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
8.4 Davis, Judith. 1988. “Mazel Tov: The Bar Mitzvah as a Multigenerational Ritual of Change and Continuity.” Rituals in Families and Family Therapy , 177-208. Ed. Evan Imber-Black and others. New York: Norton.
8.5 Brown, Karen McCarthy. 1987. “'Plenty Confidence in Myself: ' The Initiation of a White Woman Scholar into Haitian Vodou.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 3(1): 67-76.
9 Marriage
9.1 Laake, Deborah 1993. Secret Ceremonies: A Mormon Woman's Intimate Diary of Marriage and Beyond , 73-96. New York: William Morrow.
9.2 Silverberg-Willis, Luana, and Yael Silverberg-Willis. 1990. “Gospel under the Chuppah.” Ceremonies of the Heart: Celebrating Lesbian Unions , 55-69. Ed Becky Butler. Seattle: Seal.
9.3 Combs-Schilling, M. Elaine. 1991. “Etching Patriarchal Rule: Riutal Dye, Erotic Potency, and the Moroccan Monarchy.” Journal of the History of Sexuality 1(4): 658-681.
9.4 Edwards, Walter. 1989. “The Performance.” Modern Japan Through Its Weddings: Gender, Person, and Society in Ritual Portrayal , 14-35. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
10 Birth
10.1 Davis-Floyd, Robbie. 1996. “Ritual in the Hospital: Giving Birth the American Way.” Readings in Ritual Studies , 146-158. Ed. Ronald L. Grimes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
10.2 Jordan, Brigitte. 19933. “The Crosscultural Comparison of Birth Systems: Towards a Biosocial Analysis.” Birth in Four Cultures , revised and expanded edition, 45-90. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.
10.3 Pillsbury, Barbara L. K. 1982. “Doing The Month: Confinement and Convalescence of Chinese Women after Childbirth.” Anthropology of Human Birth , 119-146. Ed. Margarita Artschwager. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis.
10.4 Baldwin, Rahima. 1986. “The New Consciousness in Birth” and “Spiritual and Psychological Aspects of Pregnancy and Birth,” Special Delivery , 1-9; 133-142. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.
10.5 Anderson, Herbert, and Edward Foley. 1998. “Welcoming the Child.” Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals , 57-74. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
11 Death
11.1 Myerhoff, Barbara G. 1984. “A Death in Due Time: Construction of Self and Culture in Ritual Drama.” Rite, Drama, Festival, Spectacle: Rehearsals Toward a Theory of Cultural Performance , 149-178. Ed. John J. MacAloon. Philadelphia: Institute for the Study of Human Issues.
11.2 Huntington, Richard, and Peter Metcalf. 1979. “Death Rituals and Life Values: Rites of Passage Reconsidered.” Celebrations of Death: The Anthopology of Mortuary Ritual , 94-118. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
11.3 Danforth, Loring M. 1982. “Death as Passage.” The Death Rituals of Rural Greece , 35-69. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
11.4 Geertz, Clifford. 1973. “Ritual and Social Change: A Javanese Example.” The Interpretation of Cultures , 142-169. New York: Basic.
11.5 Watson, James L. 1988. “The Structure of Chinese Funerary Rites: Elementary Forms, Ritual Sequence, and the Primacy of Performance.” Death Ritual in Late Imperial and Modern China , 3-
- Berkeley: University of California Press.
11.6 LaFleur, William R. 1992. “Apology.” Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan , 143-159. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
