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+ | ~~DECKJS~~ | ||
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+ | # Why do so many, perhaps all, cultures have religions? # | ||
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+ | ## Why do so many, perhaps all, cultures have religions? ## | ||
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+ | Ryan Schram | ||
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+ | ryan.schram@sydney.edu.au | ||
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+ | Mills 169 (A26) | ||
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+ | March 16, 2016 | ||
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+ | Available at http:// | ||
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+ | ### Readings ### | ||
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+ | Douglas, Mary. 2002. “The Abominations of Leviticus.” In Purity and Danger: | ||
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+ | Ortner, Sherry B. 1973. “Sherpa Purity.” American Anthropologist 75 (1): 49–63. doi: | ||
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+ | ### Other media ### | ||
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+ | Speigel, Alix. 2011. “Why Cleaned Wastewater Stays Dirty In Our Minds.” Morning Edition. National Public Radio. http:// | ||
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+ | ## Durkheim, continued ## | ||
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+ | In his book, *The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life* (1915), Durkheim states that religion is society worshipping itself((While this catchy phrase is often attributed to Durkheim, as far as I know, it is not a quotation from *Elementary Forms*. However in the conclusion and at several points in the book he does equate society and the sacred in this way, and he says in the conclusion, "If religion has given birth to all that is essential in society, it is because the idea of society is the soul of religion" | ||
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+ | ## Some key terms of Durkheim ## | ||
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+ | * Societies are wholes which are greater than the sum of their parts. A society is a **collective consciousness**, | ||
+ | * **Social facts** are collective representations (or ' | ||
+ | * **Solidarity** in one form or another is the substance of the social whole. Solidarity is the quality of being part of something larger, an integrated system which is greater than the sum of its parts. **Mechanical solidarity** is feeling like one belongs to a group where everyone is alike. **Organic solidarity** is feeling like one depends on people who depend on you, or that everyone occupies a position within a division of labor. | ||
+ | * Patterns of society, institutions, | ||
+ | * **Sacred and profane**: All societies must have at least one social fact, the distinction between sacred and profane. Sacred things are things set aside and forbidden. Profane things are normal, everyday things with no special meaning or importance. | ||
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+ | ## Durkheim and relativism ## | ||
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+ | Is Durkheim saying that the sacred is whatever people in a society say is sacred? | ||
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+ | ## Why must a society worship itself? ## | ||
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+ | Durkheim observes that religious forms consist of both beliefs and practices. Sacred things need not merely be ideas or objects which people believe are sacred. Actions can be sacred too. What seems important to religious practice is that, unlike other everyday activities, there is a definite right way to do it, and this is connected to the sacred. Let's call this **ritual**, a pattern of action which is connected to the sacred. | ||
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+ | Ritual, or sacred action, is a kind of social fact. It is, furthermore, | ||
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+ | Durkheim also observes that many societies' | ||
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+ | Because a society must be greater than the people who make it up, then a society must have its own totality as a social fact. Through ritual, the social fact of the sacred appears to people in a symbolic form, as a god or as a mystical unity of nature, or as something which greater than mere mortals. This is in fact a symbol of society itself, a collective consciousness, | ||
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+ | ===== What is polluting? ===== | ||
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+ | Do you observe taboos? What are things that pollute you? | ||
+ | * bathroom door handles ([[https:// | ||
+ | * cannibalism | ||
+ | * breastfeeding in public ([[http:// | ||
+ | * How would you feel if you saw a woman give her child to another woman to breastfeed? ([[http:// | ||
+ | * alcohol | ||
+ | * women, children and younger, uninitiated men. (Atchin, Malakula Island, Vanuatu) | ||
+ | * toilet-to-tap (NPR story on the ' | ||
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+ | We have two questions we need to consider. The first is why would a society teach its members to feel anxiety over taboos? Is there any reason for these rules? We have two answers to this. One comes from Durkheim and Douglas, the other comes from Ortner. | ||
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+ | The second question is what do taboos, pollution tell us about people' | ||
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+ | ## Toilet to tap ## | ||
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+ | * Some people can never be convinced that recycled water is the same as clean water. | ||
+ | * In an experiment, people who refused recycled water would accept it when they were told a story that included the idea that recycled water would sit underground for one year before entering the water system. | ||
+ | * Even in spite of the facts, people only could understand the process of recycling water through symbols. | ||
+ | * Symbols guide how people think and act. [[:Emile Durkheim]] and [[:Max Weber]] each offer explanations for why. | ||
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+ | ## Different kinds of social actions ## | ||
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+ | * Waiting for the train. Standing on the platform. | ||
+ | * Offering your seat to a pregnant woman. | ||
+ | * Buying a coffee for a friend. | ||
+ | * Sending a get-well card. | ||
+ | * Sending a text to Mom and Dad. | ||
+ | * Signing a petition. | ||
+ | * Donating money to [[https:// | ||
+ | * Buying ramen. | ||
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+ | ## Max Weber and the action perspective on society ## | ||
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+ | * In order for society to exist, individuals must act, and patterns of action must develop. | ||
+ | * Sociology should look at the basis for people' | ||
+ | * There are four main types of action: traditional, | ||
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+ | * In another sense, Weber looks at society from the ground up, and asks how individuals fit into social systems. | ||
+ | * Weber: " | ||
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+ | ## Weber' | ||
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+ | The most prominent example of Weber' | ||
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+ | * Culture is like a text. People read the patterns of action they see in other people' | ||
+ | * People' | ||
+ | * Even people who are not consciously trying to send a message through their behavior will have meaning read into what they do. Consider the difference between a twitch in your eye, and a wink. There isn't much, but if you wink, everyone will know that you did. | ||
+ | * Fashion is also a rich area for applying the Geertzian method. Many uni students say, "Who cares about fashion? I just put on whatever and go to class!" | ||
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+ | ## Weber, Geertz and religion ## | ||
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+ | * Are you good? It is, in a sense, impossible to know on one's own. You can never be sure. | ||
+ | * Through manipulating symbols, one can reassure oneself one is OK, that one fits in, and one is normal. | ||
+ | * For Sherpa people, and possibly all people, avoiding pollution and/or pursuing purity are two complementing ways people can do this. Their symbolic actions of preserving purity are like holding up a mirror to themselves. | ||
+ | * According to Geertz, religion gives people " | ||
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+ | ## References ## | ||
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+ | Durkheim, Emile. 1915. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. London: Allen and Unwin. | ||
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+ | Geertz, Clifford. 1973. " | ||
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+ | ## A guide to the unit ## | ||
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+ | {{page> | ||