Everyday Ethnicity and Ritual

Abstract

Obrovska debunks the conception of ethnicity as composed of stable cultural characteristics that could be ascribed to seemingly homogeneous ethnic groups and argues for the more processual and emergent character of ethnic meanings and identities. She introduces the concept of everyday interaction rituals as a powerful analytical tool enabling research on everyday ethnicity. Interaction rituals are distinguished from the rituals studied mainly by anthropologists in traditional societies as well as from those “big” or “intense” ritual events and performances identified by some theorists in modern societies. The chapter presents different perspectives on everyday rituals and integrates them into an original multi-dimensional analytical frame that represents bodily, emotional, and dramaturgical, as well as conversational, aspects of interactions.