Rites Of Transition Research Articles

Az átmenet etikája – Az előregyártott síremlék, mint önkép

Abstract. The Ethics of Transition – The Prefabricated Tombstone as Identity Portrait. The present paper is part of a broader study. The broader context of the research compares and analyses the English and Transylvanian funeral rituals. My current paper examines a slice of this broader research context, identifying the problem of the funeral ritual, which has traditionally served as a transitional and linear ceremony. As such, the funeral started to transform from being a transitional ritual into a mosaic, personalized rite, by losing its transitional character. In the context of examining the social causes, the study examines how linear transitional elements are eliminated in funerals and, ultimately, how so-called existential holes appear in the funeral rituals. Keywords: self-image, post-socialist identity, tombstone, funeral

Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed: Dramatic Encounters between Classic and Adaptation, Life and Art, Freedom and Imprisonment

This paper examines Margaret Atwood’s novel Hag-Seed (2016) as a metatextual adaptation of Shakespeare’s literary classic The Tempest. The terms “adaptation” and “classic” are employed to explain the relation of Atwood’s work to its source material. The performance of The Tempest prepared by the characters of the novel that engages convicts is a form of multi-media interactive theater, and the classical text of the Shakespearean play is considered a form of “sacra” (Turner), which has educational and utilitarian purposes. Michel Foucault’s analysis of prison, his concept of “heterotopia”, and Victor Turner’s concept of “liminality” are introduced to discuss the convicts participating in a theatrical workshop as liminal individuals during the ritual of transition while in the heterotopian space of a prison.

African Transition Rituals Celebrating Gender and Human Sexuality: Implications for African Christian Theology

Transition rituals are prominent practices among African traditional communities. Among the Gusii community of western Kenya the ritual is performed for both boys and girls. The boys are taken through circumcision while girls go through clitoridectomy. The ritual for girls is widely criticized and opposed by among others the Christian Church. The ritual for girls is resisted on several grounds, but it still persists. The question which many have asked is, why this persistence? This paper raises a number of arguments among them being that; in Africa, gender and human sexuality are celebrated through painful rituals. Men and women are made rather than born. In this discussion, I argue that opposition to clitoridectomy is ill informed, because it is the element of the pain that accompanies the ritual that is the reason why the ritual persists. The paper draws equivalents between the Gusii traditional transition ritual with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, namely that from a theological perspective, the rituals should be perceived constructively as preparatory for Christian evangelization as they point to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is suggested that the Church should view the rituals constructively instead of opposing them. This situation, among other factors, has over the years rendered ineffective the Church’s efforts at evangelization not only in Gusii community but also in other African communities where this ritual is upheld

Переходные обряды в додинастическом и раннединастическом Египте

Mythopoetic thinking operates on a binary principle, classifying all the phenomena of the macro- and microcosm. The opposition between cosmos and chaos, in other words, between life and non-being, was fundamental. Spaces assimilated by culture, an ordered world, symbolized by various images: a pillar, a mountain, a temple, a dwelling, was conceived as the center of the universe, which was opposed by chaos that threatened order. These ideas about the world order were actualized in the sphere of ritual, designed to preserve the order created in the first times by the ancestors and gods. The repetition of the original myth in the ritual was supposed to restore, renew the world order in the cyclical movement of time. This applied both to the general Egyptian holidays, such as the New Year, and to the initiations that members of society took place at one stage or another of the development of Ancient Egyptian culture. Transitional rites had two aspects: age and social. When passing the initiation, the members of the collective increased their social status, became initiated, moving from adolescence to marital relations, increasing their status in the collective. A special position was occupied by leaders and kings, who confirmed their high position in society during the holiday sd. Funerals were also considered transitional rites. Transitional rituals united ideas about such opposites as life and death, which was equated with the loss of a person's previous social status. An indispensable attribute of rituals was sacrifice, and not only bloody of animals, but also sacrifice with ancient ritual objects during the construction of temples on the site of ancient sanctuaries. Notable examples have been associated with the kings in charge of the prosperity of Egypt.

‘We went from the anonymity of the internet into my private WhatsApp’: Rituals of transition among dating app users in Berlin

This article focusses on the courtship rituals and practices of intimacy among young dating app users, aged between 20 and 33, in Berlin. Dating app users participate in ‘rituals of transition’ as they signal mutual interest and heightened intimacy by moving conversations from dating apps to social media messaging platforms such as WhatsApp. These rituals of transition play a far more prominent role in signalling romantic interest than the matching-mechanisms inherent in the design of dating apps. Drawing on ethnographic data incorporating 36 semistructured interviews and 45 chat interviews across three popular dating apps, Tinder, Bumble and OkCupid, the study finds that users code the apps installed on their smartphones as hosting spheres of varying intimacy. These spheres are substantiated through the infrastructure of notifications on users’ devices. Rather than drastically altering how users communicate across different apps, rituals of transition are a key moment of communication in themselves.

Anthropomorphic symbolic images in the Ukrainian folk dancing culture

The purpose of the article is to define the semantics of the actional forms and compositional structures of circle dances and dancing pantomimes featuring the anthropomorphic images which are characteristic of the traditional annual calendar, rites of passage, and family routine ceremonialism laying the original background of the Ukrainian artwork. The methodology rests on the grounds of the complex approach and the application of analytical (art-critical, philosophical, cultural approaches to the field of study), historical (the Ukrainian choreography genesis study), cultural (examining functions performed by folk dancing culture in the spiritual life of the Ukrainian ethnos) and semiotic (analysis of dance signs structure and dancing symbols semantics) methods. Scientific novelty: the author has conducted a complex art critical research of the anthropomorphic images that became symbols in the Ukrainian national tradition with the determination of their in-depth semantic meaning and functional role in the national dancing art. Conclusions. Within the imagery richness of the Ukrainian folk choreography, there are a lot of sign-symbols, character-symbols represented in dance space patterns, and figures reproduced by performers’ plastic movements. The study of the structural-verbal and symbolic features of these choreographic patterns gives reasons to claim about their undoubted archaic roots in a play mode reflecting the unique variant of the transitional ritual (passage rite) related to an individual’s life, his status, and the external world.

Is There a Reformation Into Identity Achievement for Life After Elite Sport? A Journey of Identity Growth Paradox During Liminal Rites and Identity Moratorium.

Athletes’ identity development upon retirement from elite sport was examined through a model of self-reformation that integrates and builds on the theoretical underpinnings of identity development and liminality, while advancing seven propositions and supporting conceptual conjectures using findings from research on athletes’ transition out of sport. As some elite athletes lose a salient athletic identity upon retiring from sport, they experience an identity crisis and enter the transition rites feeling in between their former athletic identity and future identity post-sport life, during which a temporary identity moratorium status is needed for identity growth. Given the developmental challenges encountered in moratorium and psychosocial processes necessary to establish a new, fulfilling identity for life after elite sport, we identified key conditions, triggers, and processes that advance how a journey of identity growth paradox experienced during liminality serves as a catalyst toward identity achievement. Elite athletes must be encouraged to persevere in this challenging identity search and delay commitments for as long as it is necessary to achieve identity growth despite experiencing uncomfortable feelings of confusion, void, and ambiguity during the liminal phase. Reforming into an achieved identity for life after elite sport would corroborate the successful navigation of transition, as elite athletes evolved into a synthesized sense of self by cementing, through a negotiated adaptation pathway, constructed identity commitments that will provide new beginnings and meaningful directions to their life after elite sport.

Институт дарообмена у обских угров в антропологическом дискурсе

Introduction: the work is written in the discourse of economic anthropology. The relevance of the institute of gift-giving among the Ob-Ugric peoples is determined by the interest in the study of their traditional culture, as well as the desire to determine its role and functions in the modern global world. Objective: to consider and analyze different types of gift exchange and related communications among the Ob-Ugric people in the past and in modern practices. Research materials: the author’s field materials collected among different groups of Ob-Ugric people; works of authors of the second half of the XIX – beginning of the XX centuries, containing descriptions of trade deals with the participation of the indigenous population of the Ob North. Results and novelty of the research: on the materials about the Ob Ugrians the kinship and friendship gifts connected with the custom of guesting, exchange of gifts in the rites of transition, gift exchange with spirits, gift exchange with the authorities during the period of integration into the system of Russian statehood and elements of gift exchange relations in trade are studied. The essence of the institution of gift-exchange is revealed through the theoretical developments of the classics of economic anthropology, first of all, M. Moss. Gift-giving in Khanty and Mansi culture has both real and symbolic value. The first one is equivalent to the value of things or services, and the second is determined by the fact that gifts are perceived as a pledge of success and prosperity in the future. The gift was a peculiar mechanism of maintaining ties both between different collectives within the community and with the outside world, including otherworldly forces.

Objective Correlative as Aesthetics in Indigenous Rites

AbstractThe transition of the dead to the world of the ancestors in indigenous societies goes beyond the burial and physical disintegration of the individual. The rites attendant on the absence of the deceased in the Ugbo/Benin milieu culminate in the final journey to the world of the ancestors. This can be termed apotheosis which may be considered the general recognition that the deceased can be considered an ancestor and could sit among other ancestors. While using aesthetics as a springboard, the paper establishes the fact that indigenous ritual performances may amount to what Eliot T. S. terms “the objective correlative”, and other new generations of aestheticians such as James Shelley call “sensible pleasures, rational pleasures”, and Wonderly terms “transcendent desires.” The signs and symbolic gestures attendant on the rite of passage that are potent means of establishing belief and amplifying a picturesque presentation of what may seem abstract are instrumental in upholding transition rituals in indigenous societies. The rites of passage further amplify the belief of indigenous people that necessary rite must attend the demise of every person upon the yield to the power of death and the negation of which could bring fatal consequences on the offspring of the individual.

Bridal Shower: Tren Perayaan Melepas Masa Lajang di Kalangan Perempuan di Kota Makassar

Bridal shower is a celebration of letting go of single status adopted from European and American culture. This has become a new form of ceremony held by a friendship group, as the bridesmaids. It examines the adoption process of bridal shower, the process of the celebration itself, and the meaning of such celebration from both bridesmaids and bride to be.
 This qualitative research was conducted in the capital city of Makassar, It involved 14 informant whose age between 21 and 26 years. They consist of eight bridesmaids who make and plan a bridal shower, four bride to be who have received a surprise bridal shower celebration, and two party planners who have five years experience in organizing such celebration. Data was collected using the combination of in-depth interview and observation, examining 18 cases of bridal shower celebration.
 The study indicates that bridal shower is conducted as a moment of separation and as a form of support from bridesmaids to the bride to be who will be heading to a new life. The reasons behind the celebration of bridal shower includes the presence of group awareness, moment of letting go of friend, as a form of group support, following trend, and as a form of reciprosity. The celebration of bridal shower includes five stages. First, welcoming bride to be with a number of surprises. Second, embedding of attributes with the use of a crown to show the privileges of the bride to be and a shawl as a medium for writing funny messages that generally relate to the transfer of status and sexuality. Third, playing games in the form of questions with sanctions. Fourth, disclosing messages and impressions from the bridesmaid to the bride to be; Fifth, ending up eating together while reminiscing. Although each stage has its own purpose, they are all meant to make the bride to be happy. Bridal shower celebration is full of meanings, namely: as a status switch, as a medium for self reflection and introspection, and as a moment for friendship group existence. Bridesmaids support is very significant considering that the transition from one status to another and incoming new responsibilities both create fears to the bride to be. Thus, bridal shower celebrations become a transitional ritual at the critical moment because, on the one hand, bride to be has already "bound" by the acceptance of groom’s proposal; on the other hand, the status of marriage has not been grasped, a moment which Van Gennep (1960) termed as "rites de passage". A bridal shower celebration is a moment in which the bride to be stretches herself towards getting married. Bridal shower is also a medium for reflection and introspection, accompanied by the expression of messages of "farewell", discourses or advice to the bride to be. Bridal shower is also a moment to show the existence of a friendship group through uploading photos/videos of bridal shower celebration on social media and an event to display status, for both bridesmaids and brides to be.

VISUAL IMAGERY OF THE CHUVASH SATIRICAL MAGAZINE “KAPKAN” AS AN ETHNOGRAPHIC SOURCE

The Chuvash literary-fiction illustrated satire and humour magazine “Kapkăn” (“Kapkan”) was chosen as the object of research. Chronological framework of the study covers 1956–1991: published intermittently since 1925in Cheboksary (originally – as a literary appendix to the newspaper “Kanash”), in 1940 the magazine ceased to be published, its issuing was resumed only in 16 years. The rich post-Soviet history of “Kapkan” (its issuing was suspended in 2017) with a changed plot and imagery of the visual series is the topic of a separate study.
 
 The broad narrative and figurative range of illustrations of “Kapkan”, their abundance and quality were determined by the fact that over decades of its fruitful work many masters of the genre who were famous outside the Republic and who were published in the central press, collaborated with the magazine, including publications in the “elder brother” of republican propaganda satirical publications – the subordinate edition of the newspaper “Pravda» – “Crocodile” magazine. The lack of studies on iconography of the Soviet period of the journal “Kapkan” determines the novelty of the research. The aim of the study is to determine the opportunities of using the visual imagery of the mentioned periodical as an ethnographic source and a source on the history of everyday life. The author considered the methods of content- and context-analysis as the most adequate ones in this case. Turning to such subjects as mismanagement, localism, nepotism, bribery, bureaucracy, artists give considerable food for thought to historians who study the problems of everyday life. The visual imagery of “Kapkan” of the postwar period makes it possible to study not only Soviet social problems through aspects of everyday life of an “ordinary Soviet man”, but classical anthropological subjects (kinship and connection by marriage, gift exchange, power, rites of transition, initiation, social experience passing, work ethic, etc.) as well. “Socialist in content”, the graphic art of the Chuvash caricaturists, was nevertheless sometimes “national in form”. At the same time, “Kapkan” did not too much work the pedals of purely national plots, did not strive for spectacular exoticism. The magazine which was published in the Chuvash language knew and understood its readers, their needs, their daily life. The emotional degree of illustrations to the “Kapkan” ranged from mild patronizing humor to hard-edged accusatory satire; it is important that the stated balance – humor and satire – in an uneasy and often ideologized environment was almost always maintained. A wide range of themes and subjects, the skill to combine graphic materials of different artists, professionals and amateur masters with their own creative manner deserve the closest attention of researchers.

From the Belief Based Music Thought to the Cultural Representation Focused Music Perception in Alawism: The Traces of the Transformation in Mersin Djemevi

Alevi belief based in Anatolia which is one of the gatherings reflecting the link between the belief and music has created the Anatolian cultural mosaic as well as not only transitional rituals that part of Semah tradition but also tradition of Zakir coming from esoteric. Music which has such a wide and key role on spiritual development of human beings, and the link between God, Human, and universe has become an important part of passing the tradition and spiritual knowledge through the cultural memory. All of this activity has brought a perception of music which is surrounded with mystical doktrine and the music has turn into a way of expressing spiritual and cultural information in this tradition. From the 1960s, as a result of proceses like urbanisation, modernisation and globalism, Alevi belief has appeared in different organisations, ceremonies, and concerts in the city centres which is completely different from how it was the belief occurred in the villages in the past. At this point, Cem rituals, zakir tradition, and music practicals has turn in an understanding of cultural togetherness, trying adapt to recent changes, and existence that trying get out their shells in cities. Thus, two main important factors whether if music is part of a programmed process or a kind of spiritual wellness which centre of belief alevi belief system have occurred. In this study, the answer has been looked for in Alevi Kultur Dernekleri Mersin Cemevi by focusing on differences in perception of the belief in the past and quality of the practices nowadays. As part this, this research which based on quality research methods and techniques has been carried out with an ethnographic approach.

Adverse events as transitional markers - Using liminality to understand experiences of second victims.

Healthcare professionals are socialized into a tacit, professional identity of competences and skills - to save lives, repair trauma and facilitate good and trustful relational care. When severe adverse events happen, healthcare professionals may struggle to accept their own fallibility, and the event may pose a threat to the selfdeclared 'superior' or 'infallible' professional identity. The consequences of a sudden identity shift between the 'potentially infallible HCP' and 'potentially fallible HC P' caused by an adverse event is the analytical object of this study. The aim of the paper is to derive new understandings of how HCPs in maternity services experience adverse events by using Arnold van Gennep's and Victor Turner's 'rites of passage' theorizations and the concept of liminality to explain the process of transition between the two professional identities. Through five focus groups conducted in June 2018 with midwives and obstetricians-gynecologists, we have examined i) how second victim experiences can be understood using theories of transition and liminality, and ii) how the organizational procedures in a Danish university hospital may serve as a ritual for the involved HCPs in the aftermath of adverse events. The findings suggest that the inconsistency in the level of support contributes to the chaos that may be experienced by the healthcare professional. The organizational structure does not provide rites of transition or any other ritual processes, except for debriefings that, in many cases, are experienced as deficient. Since liminal states suggest danger and threat, because the previous professional identity is replaced by ambiguity and separation, the lack of clear rituals and support may put further strain on the HCP adding to the associated psychological and social distress. Considering the liminality and the need for structured transition rites within the work environment may prove useful when constructing adequate second victim support programs.

Nobody’s Land by Desanaka Maksimovic in the Light of the Intertextuality Theory

the collection Nobody’s Land by Desanka Maksimovich. The objective of the study is to consider the features of the poetic world of this collection’s author in the context of oral poetry and prose, as well as in the framework of Serbian ethnomythology. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the chronotope and transitional rites, illustrated by individual poems. The poems of the collection appear to readers as a multilayered structure, which due to a layer of oral tradition, leads researchers to the depths of Slavic mythology. It is concluded that the author carefully selects those elements from the folklore corps, which are then included in poetic works. A poetess does not create her poems on their interpretation but integrates them into a new context, developing them, changing and expanding the systems of meanings already established in the traditions. As a result, folklore elements (motifs, symbols, heroes, compositional techniques) gain new connotations but their conceptual core remains. Accordingly, these poems can be considered as a new interpretation of the folklore fund. Desanka Maksimovich becomes a poet reinterpreting and saving the domestic literary and mythological heritage from oblivion. Her attention is focused on those components of folklore and mythological creativity, the meaning of which is firmly preserved in the national as well as in the international corps. Desanka Maksimovich’s poems were created in such a way as to allow the researcher to get to the bottom of their folklore and mythological basis, and this indicates a well-thought-out author’s concept. Keywords: poetry, folklore and mythological heritage, chronotope, transitional rites, transposition

African Indigenous Guidance and Counselling & Child Socialization Agents

The aim of this article is to evaluate the perception of Pentecostal Christians in regard to the importance of the indigenous guidance and counselling among the Aembu indigenous society. In the latter, they socialized their children from birth to puberty. In a nutshell, emphasis is given to transitional rites of passage. Transitional rites of passage served as important tools of child socialization which was meant to instil moral values among the Aembu youths. In our contemporary society, many adolescents face moral issues which often call for intensive child socialization from home and church circles. In its theoretical framework, the article used the structural functional theory. Qualitative approach was applied as the determinant design. The article reveals that there are moral issues among the youth and that there are useful Aembu teachings and practices which were used in the Aembu indigenous society as socialization tools in order to instil moral values among youths to solve morality issues. The article concludes that there is an urgent need to put in place alternative rites of passage with the sole aim of coming up with effective child socialization programs.

Sahne Sanatlarının Eşikselliği: Geçiş Ritüelleri Bağlamında Bir Alan Araştırması

Rituals are one of the most studied concepts in the research of culture. Arnold Van Gennep’s theory “rites of passage” and Victor Turner’s theory “liminality” are together the most basic theories of ritual studies. According to these theories, there are “transition rituals” at various stages and in various channels of life and these rituals are divided into three stages. The second stage is called “liminality” and is characterized by an ‘in-betweenness’ in which individuals are neither in the first nor at the last stage. In this study, the field of performing arts, which has always been viewed in terms of rituals and, indeed, is said to be born out of them having gained its purely artistic identity later on, is examined in the context of the “rites of passage” and “liminality” theories, in order to evaluate its similarity with the rituals. After a detailed literature review, this study builds a conceptual and theoretical framework for the research. Having done that, we then explain how we conducted our field research which involved participant observation and face-to-face interviews, all in the light of the afore-mentioned framework. The results of the study conclude that performing arts, which have been considered together with rituals since their theoretical beginning, share the principles of the three staged “transition rituals” and the characteristics of the “liminal” stage coined by Victor Turner. The study also concludes that the theoretical framework supports the idea that performing arts are similar to rituals.

The legend of Tan-varp-ekva

The object of the study is the texts about Tan-varp-ekva, «the tendon twistress», recorded during the 20th c. The majority of the full-text tales has been recorded from the northern Mansi (Lyapin River Basin, Upper Lozva), some folklore stories have been published for various groups of Khanty (Yugan, Middle Ob, Berezovo, Kazym, Upper Purov, Shurishkar); the Nenets legend about the old woman-Sihirtia stands out. The tales mostly split into two plots: the first one is associated with the prohibition to spin veins at night, the second — with changeling and kidnapping of children. The analysis of the key points of the legends has been carried out, the position of the Ob-Ugorsk forest spirit among similar images of the Komi and Russians has been determined. The authors suggest that the village of Lombovozh (Lyapin Mansi) became the place of creation of the folklore storyline, linking it to the presence of a large archaeological site, a medieval settlement. The spread of the legend of Tan-varp-ekva among other Mansi and Khanty groups was the result of migrations. The main plot of the story refers to the introduction of regulations by the Ob Ugrians on inclusion of a daughter-in-law, young women into the foreign cult community. The story with a silver cup explains the rules of entry of a newly manufactured or brought from the outside object into the sphere of worship in the Ob Ugrians. Tan-varp-ekva in the role of a female deity could act as the patro-ness of needlework, as, for the Ob Ugrians, twisting of deer tendon threads was a traditional female work. The stories about Tan-varp-ekva are similar to those of many Russian fairy tales, ballades about mythical spin-stresses, as well as bans on needlework during the night and transition time. Her image has a lot in common with Baba Yaga and with the character of Yoma — her double in Komi (forest spirits, creatures of the lower world, kidnappers of children, cannibals, treasure keepers, treasure givers, «spinning» deities). The motifs of killing and eating of daughter-in-law by the spinstress of tendons can be an allusion of the rite of transition to a new family, when the girl «died» for her former family and left the protection of the spirits-keepers of her family. The popular-Christian layer of views of the Russians and Komi provides material for comparative analysis of mythological con-cepts of Slavic and Finn-Ugric peoples, who for a long period experienced mutual influence on ethnocultural tradi-tions. The function of Tan-varp-ekva as a «twister of tendons» can be secondary, borrowed from neighboring populations, for example, from the Komi, who, together with Orthodoxy, accepted and adapted the popular-Christian beliefs of the Russians.

Peran Gender dalam Ritus Kusu Bue

Kusu bue rite’s a rite performed by women who have experience menstruation. Women will stay in a small house, called sao are. They cooperate with each other in every process of activity. The role of gender in the kusu bue rite also has implications for the Dona community. The formulation of the problem in this study are (1) how’s the role of gender in the implementation of the kusu bue ? (2) What are the implications of gender roles in the implementation of the kusu bue of the kusu bue rite to the Dona community? This study uses theories from Marwell and theories about the transitional rites and the inauguration ceremony of Van Gennep. Ethnographic research models,including data collection techniques through observation, interviews, literature, studies, and data analysis field. The results explained that the kusu bue ritual process lasted for eight days and seven nights. The procession begins with preparation, hen enters theses’e ritual leadig to Soromazi, to Lole Sao Are. On the second day the community performed the Waju Pare Kobho. On the third and sixth day, why would they goon a journey to find the needs of the girls. Then on the seventh day the community carried out the Bora Raa Weti and Woke Tewu rituals. On the last day the kusu bue girls will have a graduation party or wela ripe. The result of this rite to the Dona community.These implications are the implication in the social, education, deliberation,and consensusand religious fields.

Street homelessness – on the other side of the mirror

The article is devoted to the problems of street homelessness and a different perception of this phenomenon in the environment of "non-homeless people" and homeless people. The author presents a peculiar ritual of transition from "normal" life into a crisis of homelessness. The study involved 22 homeless people and was conducted in the form of free interview and graphic mapping of the "world map" modeled on the Maslow's pyramid of needs with particular emphasis on basic needs. The implementation of these needs as well as higher-order needs is carried out in an alternative way, different from the ones adopted in social norms.

The current state of the free-religious movement in Germany

Журнал «Вопросы теологии» — международный академический журнал по теологии. Журнал ориентирован на развитие всех направлений и областей, входящих в исследовательскую отрасль «Теология», прежде всего в том варианте, в каком она развивается в светских вузах и научно-исследовательских структурах, а также в духовных академиях.