Anthropology › Section M · Religion and culture › Topic M.4
Rituals of transition and conformity
Rituals turn beliefs into action. Some bind a congregation together every week, some carry a person from one stage of life to the next, and some deal with illness and misfortune. Studying them shows how communities make people, mark change and keep order, sometimes by briefly turning order upside down.
In this topic
- What makes an act a ritual
- Rites of intensification
- Rites of passage revisited
- Liminality and communitas
- Worked example: the Kinaaldá
- Worked example: basic training
- Rites of rebellion
- Rites of affliction
- Pilgrimage
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
This topic is part of Wuanberri Pro. Checking your access…