Initiation Rites Research Articles

Becoming a Man in Ancient Greece and Rome. Essays on Myths and Rituals of Initiation

Becoming a Man in Ancient Greece and Rome. Essays on Myths and Rituals of Initiation

Semantics of Nonviolence

In the article, we consider the approaches to the ethics of nonviolence suggested by Judith Butler and Sara Ahmed. Butler's project is rooted in Monique Wittig's concept of “material violence”. By extending the meaning of this term to gender and normative violence, Butler articulates the ethics of nonviolence. The latter involves concepts of radical equality and interdependence. A practical complement to the Butler project can be found in the works of Sara Ahmed, who investigates the possibility of opposing violence within institutions. She develops the concept of the “feminist ear”, based on phenomenology, which we suggest considering as a tool to implement the ethics of nonviolence. Being an attitude that can be adapted due to methodology requirements or in political practice, Ahmed's feminist ear refers to Bourdieu's metaphor of the “sharped eye” by which a researcher can objectivate their doxic (or “native”) experience. Considering these parallels, we investigate his theory of symbolic violence, internalized and reproduced in systems of dispositions. Bourdieu's striving to reveal a material side of ideology confronting that of intellectualist tradition partly matches Wittig's intuitions. By introducing the notion of habituality, we can reconsider the very question of ideology's potential overcoming that cannot be performed using intellectual endeavor. This impossibility leads Bourdieu to criticize classic phenomenology because of its ignorance of social conditions and the natural attitude. Inverting the usual working strategy of Husserlian phenomenology, he takes a natural attitude as a framework of his research, revealing the initiation rituals to the symbolic structure. The article suggests some strategies to overcome it.

Life Cycle Rites in Worldview System of Buryat People (Material from Archive of S. P. Baldaev)

The significance of this study lies in the necessity of conducting a scientific analysis of folklore and ethnographic materials collected by one of the first folklorists in ethnic Buryatia, S. P. Baldaev. The analysis was carried out on texts recorded in the Transbaikal and Pre-Baikal regions, which relate to the rituals of the Buryat life cycle, including wedding rituals, childbirth rituals, and initiation rituals. These rituals had a fundamental influence on the formation of the worldview of traditional Buryat society. It is emphasized that the life cycle rituals clearly differentiated gender and age responsibilities and regulated interpersonal relationships within the family. Folklore and ethnographic data preserved in the Center for Eastern Manuscripts and Xylographs of the Institute of Mongolian Studies, Buddhist Studies, and Tibetology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences are introduced into scientific circulation. The results of the study will contribute to enriching the Buryat understanding of the world order with new facts and historical materials, which are relevant both for academic science and for contemporary society, which has a demand for the revival of traditional values.

Models of Dissertation Defense: From Post-Reform University to Soviet Era (Case of Saint Petersburg University)

This study explores the issue of obtaining academic degrees in prerevolutionary Russia, a process that was an integral part of scientific initiation, allowing individuals to enter the ranks of the country’s intellectual elite. The aim of this paper is to determine the interplay between socio-political, corporate, and scientific elements in shaping the discourse of academic disputation. The analysis presented herein draws upon data primarily concerning Saint Petersburg University, which was a leading center for Russian scholarly activity. Specifically, this research utilizes unpublished materials from the minutes of the University Council meetings, journals of public assemblies of various faculties, and archives managed by the Saint Petersburg educational district, containing information on planned disputes. The authors conclude that there were eight formal obstacles a candidate had to overcome in the pursuit of a degree. The key hurdle was access to the public defense, which was a closed affair, being an internal corporate matter that excluded not only the degree candidate but also external authorities and society at large. The public defense of a thesis served more as a socially significant rite of corporate initiation, demonstrating the public importance of the corporation.

On Theater, Law, and Justice (Not Necessarily in That Order)

This special issue of Documenta delves into the reciprocal relationship between ‘Theater and Law,’ establishing an interdisciplinary space for justice that transcends conventional legal boundaries. In contrast to traditional, rigid judicial frameworks that revolve around accusing and sentencing clearly defined defendants, the performing and visual arts provide a reflective environment for reevaluating legal cases and systems. Each article in this issue aspires to reconceptualize established legal perspectives by presenting artistically inspired alternatives. The contributions illustrate how the performing and visual arts foster empathetic and progressive alternatives to the judicial process, both within and beyond traditional court settings. To underscore the significance of these artistically inspired alternatives, this introduction examines the tragic case of Sanda Dia, a twenty-year-old student who died during an extreme initiation ritual from a student corps at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in 2018.

Ритуал заточения царевичей у древних майя

The paper is dedicated to a previously unrecognized Classic Maya ritual (3rd—10th centuries CE). Several examples have been located in hieroglyphic texts so far and two of them describe the ritual in some detail. Palenque texts tell us that the six-year-old prince and future king K’ihnich Kan B’ahlam II “went up to an enclosed place surrounded by wooden walls”. He remained there for 537 days, “descended” in the company of “two youths (boys)” and received the title ɂokteɂ of unclear etymology. La Corona texts tell us that the sons of the Kanuɂl king Yuknoɂm Ch’eeɂn II “were raised by the hands of seven youths (boys)”, and 520 days later “came out”. The elder son Yuknoɂm Yich’aak K’ahk’ was 24 years old when the ritual started; the age of his younger brother is unknown. The comparison of the texts under discussion indicates that young princes were in isolation from adults at least 520 days (two cycles of the 260 day calendar) and that there they obtained their rights to ascend the throne. The youths or boys who accompanied the princes were members of subordinate dynasties, who also received a new status upon completion of the ritual. The analyzed texts are the first epigraphic evidence about initiation rituals of the Ancient Maya.

The Lived Experience of Racism in the Sikh Community.

The Sikh community may be more visible and vulnerable to racism than other religious groups, and previous research has documented the racism targeted at Sikh men and women in the United States. Relatively few studies have, however, addressed the racism experienced by Sikh communities in other countries, where racism may be less closely connected to the events of 9/11. The present study investigates the lived experience of racism in Sikh adults living in the United Kingdom. Six participants (5 male, 1 female) aged 19 to 30 years (M = 24.17, SD = 3.98) were recruited via advertisements placed on social media. Both Amritdhari Sikhs (n = 4) who had undertaken the Amrit Sanskar initiation ceremony or commitment and Sahajdhari Sikhs (n = 2) who had not undertaken the initiation participated. Semi-structured interviews were conducted (totaling 372 minutes of interview data), covering a range of subjects including personal experiences of racism and subsequent responses to the racist abuse. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the interview transcripts identified five superordinate themes. These were (1) Appearance and Visibility; (2) Inevitability and Normalization; (3) Coping and Conformity (Religion as Support, Fitting In, Internalization); (4) Education and Understanding; and (5) Bystander Behavior (Experiences of Intervention, Religious Duty to Intervene, Consequences of Intervention). Findings highlight the extent to which racism occurs and the increased vulnerability of the Sikh community (e.g., appearance being the focus of racist abuse). Findings also highlight the importance of religion as a source of support and cultural pride and the significance of education and bystander behavior. Future research should further investigate these themes and introduce interventions to support the safety and well-being of members of the Sikh community experiencing racist abuse.

Evaluating a sexual and reproductive health education program in Mozambique: A mixed method study

Background: Early and inappropriate messages regarding sexuality and marriage taught during adolescent initiation rituals teachings in Mozambique are considered a determinant of high rates of early marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and maternal mortality. The Alert Community for a Prepared Hospital implementation research project in Natikiri, Nampula, Mozambique (2016-2020) identified adolescent initiation rituals counsellors and traditional authorities as pertinent agents to provide sexual and reproductive health education to adolescents during the initiation rituals. Objective: Develop, apply, evaluate, and disseminate a modern, transformative education tool, about sexual and reproductive health and rights, for counselors to use with adolescents during initiation rituals in Northern Mozambique. Methods: This is an exploratory descriptive and intervention study, using mixed method approaches. Findings: Results suggest, the education tool was well accepted by rituals counsellors, community leaders and the adolescents who attended the initiation rituals. It was shown to improve adolescent’s knowledge and lead to a positive behaviour change in sexual and reproductive health and rights. Conclusions: This intervention may be replicated at a national level with a low cost and significantly contribute to reducing adolescent pregnancy and early marriages and improving maternal and child health.

한국 무속에서 읽어낸 그로토프스키의 세속적 신성

This study explores the convergence of Jergy Grotowski's ‘Secular sacrum in the theatre’ and Korean Muism(Korean Shamanism)’s shamanic rituals in the context of secular spirituality. Grotowski advocates for the theatrical stage as a sacred space, breaking barriers for genuine inner exploration, with the ‘holy actor’ crucial for manifesting secular spirituality. Drawing parallels, Muism’s shamans(mudang) embody the ‘holy actor’ through acts like ‘self-sacrifice’ and ‘emptying oneself’, seen in rituals such as the initiation ceremony(Naerim Gut). The shaman, bridging the divine and human realms, seeks to heal through spiritual power in a sacred space. Embedded in Korean culture, Gut rituals serve as a pillar of secular spirituality, transforming the worldly into the sacred. The shaman(mudang), a key practitioner, orchestrates these spiritual rituals, playing a central role in communal life.

Chan Texts in Practice

Abstract Research into early Chan has relied heavily on the manuscripts found in Cave 17 in Dunhuang, which generally date from before the eleventh century. However this research has often abstracted texts from their context as part of the varied and multilingual collection that was found in the cave. Furthermore, the date, form and original use of the manuscripts containing early Chan texts is often forgotten in the discussion. This brief paper looks at early Chan practice from a historical and local perspective, that is, as a kind of social history. Taking one text, The Record of the Masters and Students of the Lanka (Lengqie shizi ji 楞伽師資記) I discuss some of the meditation practices that it contains and compare these to manuscripts from the Dunhuang collection that fall outside the usual concept of ‘Chan Buddhism’. I conclude that first, early Chan texts should be understood as existing in specific social and ritual settings, such as group initiation rituals, educational settings with teachers and students, or indeed solitary meditation. Second, in the social setting that produced the Dunhuang manuscript cache, distinctions between what we tend to think of as ‘Chan meditation’ and other forms of meditation from tantric or pure land contexts, meant little in practice.

Understanding the roles of Alternative Rites of Passage and Public Declarations in FGM/C abandonment: An ethnographic study among the Loita Maasai, Kenya

This article reports on ethnographic research on ongoing changes in FGM/C among the Maasai community of the Loita Hills, southwest Kenya. The study identified the individual, social, material, and institutional factors that sustain FGM/C in Loita. It then examined how these factors changed under the influence interventions by the nongovernmental organisation S.A.F.E., national anti-FGM/C legislation, school-based education, and religion. S.A.F.E.‘s song performances weakened the social taboo that prevented people from discussing FGM/C; their alternative rite of passage (ARP) made it possible to abandon FGM/C while continuing other elements of the initiation ceremony; the blessing of the ARP by the cultural leadership made not-cutting culturally acceptable; and the public declaration addressed some concerns around the social consequences of not-cutting. Anti-FGM/C legislation drove the practice underground and reinforced its meanings as an ethnic identity marker. School-based education changed people's socio-economic circumstances, facilitating the abandonment of FGM/C without the need to replace it with an LRP. Protestant Loitai initiated their daughters through a religious initiation rite. Together, these influence contributed to the incremental decline of FGM/C in Loita. However, half of the community seems to continue practising FGM/C, because of its meanings that go beyond initiation into adulthood and/or because of continued concerns around the social consequences of not-cutting. Sustained efforts that dynamically adapt to the ever-changing social realities, including potential resurgences in prevalence, can support the community on its path towards total abandonment.

Rethinking Female Rites of Passage: The Chinamwali, Male Power, and African Feminisms

Engaging the African Feminist ideological framework, this paper explores the intersection between African female initiation rites and male power and privilege. The paper engages the chinamwali, a female initiation rite practised by the Chikunda of Zambia. The initiation rite involves the seclusion of the ‘namwali’, the initiate, in an informal learning process during which older and more experienced women, aphungu, pass on messages to her on what it means to be a woman in society. The data for the article were generated from a study undertaken in 2018 in Chief Mphuka’s area of Luangwa District, in the Eastern part of Zambia, using narratives from 30 participants, including 15 women who have undergone chinamwali, who constituted the main research participants; 5 ritual instructors, aphungu; 5 men; and five uninitiated women. A thematic analysis of the findings led to the development of the ‘Chikunda masculinity’, which gives impetus to feminist scholarship regarding a new focus on women’s sexuality as a source of legitimising men’s dominant position over women. The article recommends the integration of transformative messages in the chinamwali curriculum that could empower the initiate to confront cultural practices that reinforce patriarchal hegemony.

Tra assenza e presenza delle figure di cervidi nell'arte rupestre della Valcamonica. Frammenti di una simbologia ricorsiva

The article considers the consistency and distribution of the figures of cervids in Valcamonica rock art, through the systematic analysis of their presence/absence in the Palaeolithic, Chalcolithic, and Iron Age engravings. The attention for these animals unites, since the Palaeolithic, the iconography of geographically distant cultural facies. The primordial and constant presence of this family of mammals in the Alpine and Pre-Alpine territory, in particular, favours the observation of specific attributes of the animal, selected and reworked in the pre- and proto-historical imagery and culture, and potentially «veiled» by the mantle of symbolic superstructures. In Valcamonica,Pleistocene engravings of cervids relate dynamically to the surrounding post-glacial environment. In the Chalcolithic, they dominate the zoomorphic apparatus of the male statue-stelae, the monoliths-totem of the clans. The proto-historical world, on the other hand, sees them as protagonists of the initiation rituals of young warriors. Through different historical-cultural phases, semantic correspondences seem to persist between deer and the concepts of light/fire, remarked by the comparison with the recent tradition of the valley. Further considerations highlight the role of cervids/deer as animals markedly liminal that is, ideally framed in multiple spatial and «metaphysical» dimensions.

Migration, Marriage Rituals and Contemporary Cosmopolitanism in Urban Zambia

ABSTRACT Different types of rituals to contract marriage have developed in urban Zambia that combine customary girl’s initiation and marriage rituals with novel forms of ritual performances. The participants bring into being in symbolic forms different ‘tribes’ and traditions, which they compare, contrast, and connect. They construe a virtual reality of multiplicity of traditions; categories for interaction on which actual relations may be formed. These ritual practices are analysed within perspectives on cosmopolitanism as processes of meaning-making and is an attempt to connect pluralist perspectives on cosmopolitanism as relations between diverse cultures with universalist perspectives that search for forms of interaction between humans that do not entail prior classifications such as tribe, nation, or class.

Exploring activities and behaviours potentially increases school-age children’s vulnerability to malaria infections in south-eastern Tanzania

BackgroundStrengthening malaria control activities in Tanzania has dramatically declined human malaria infections. However, there is an increasing epidemiological shift in the burden on school-age children. The underlying causes for such an epidemiological shift remain unknown in this context. This study explored activities and behaviours that could increase the vulnerability of school-age children to transmission risk to provide insight into protection gap with existing interventions and opportunities for supplementary interventions.MethodsThis cross-sectional study conducted twenty-four focus group discussions (FGDs) in three districts of Rufiji, Kibiti and Kilwa in south-eastern Tanzania. Sixteen FGDs worked with school-age children (13 to 18 years) separating girls and boys and eight FGDs with their parents in mixed-gender groups. A total of 205 community members participated in FGDs across the study area. Of them, 72 participants were parents, while 133 were school-age children (65 boys and 68 girls).ResultsRoutine domestic activities such as fetching water, washing kitchen utensils, cooking, and recreational activities such as playing and watching television and studying were the reported activities that kept school-age children outdoors early evening to night hours (between 18:00 and 23:00). Likewise, the social and cultural events including initiation ceremonies and livelihood activities also kept this age group outdoors from late evening to early night and sometimes past midnight hours. Parents migrating to farms from December to June, leaving behind school-age children unsupervised affecting their net use behaviour plus spending more time outdoors at night, and the behaviour of children sprawling legs and hands while sleeping inside treated bed nets were identified as potential risks to infectious mosquito bites.ConclusionThe risky activities, behaviours, and social events mostly occurring outdoors might increase school-age children’s vulnerability to malaria infections. The findings provide preliminary insight on potential risk factors for persisting transmission. Further studies to quantify the risk behaviour and activities are recommended to establish the magnitude and anticipated impact on supplementary control strategies to control infection in school-age children.

Crossing the Threshold: School Shooting as a “Ritual of Chiral Initiation”

Crossing the Threshold: School Shooting as a “Ritual of Chiral Initiation”

Особенности воспитания детей в условиях первобытного общества

The article substantiates the expediency of addressing the study of upbringing of the younger generation in the conditions of primitive-communal relations. Based on the analysis of scientific literature, the features character-izing the upbringing of children at the stage of the primeval society are generalized and revealed, which forms the novelty of the conducted study. The life path of a child from birth to the period of adulthood is shown. It re-veals the role of preparation for the initiation rite as a prototype of schooling and a prerequisite for the institu-tionalization of education. The high efficiency of upbringing in the conditions of primitive society as a conse-quence of coincidence of goals of adults and children is substantiated. Changes in the nature and content of education at the stage of decomposition of primitive communal relations are outlined. Innovations in prepara-tion and carrying out of initiation rites are presented. The role of social differentiation in the discrepancy of goals and tasks of children and adults is shown, which led to a decrease in the effectiveness of upbringing and the spread of physical punishment as evidence of the helplessness of adults to achieve their goals by other means. Drawing on the analysis of the experience of children's upbringing in primitive society, a number of practice-oriented “history lessons” are formulated for addressing the issues of upbringing of the younger gen-eration in modern conditions.

The plot of initiation in the novel “The Song of Achilles” by M. Miller

The article studies the poetics of M. Miller’s novel in the context of the initiation plot representation. The search for the hero is considered as one of the main problems of modern American literature. We use the cultural-historical and comparative methods and the method of narrative analysis in our research. The relevance of the study is the synthesis of approaches to the analysis of the novel “The Song of Achilles” by M. Miller. The study hypothesizes that, the technique of remythologization enables the writer to represent the universality of the human development stages and the crisis trials that adolescents face. The novel is considered both in the context of rethinking of the mythological narrative and in the aspect of representing the archaic model of initiation. The mythological plot basis, which implies plot determinism, makes it possible to emphasize the axiological, emotive discourse and protagonists’ inner changes. The parallel initiation of Patroclus and Achilles explicates the dichotomy of the godlike and the human elements in the inner nature of the characters. Patroclus, being close to the hero, shares his fate. He literally and metaphorically becomes Achilles in the finale of the novel, entering the battle in his armor and under his name. Achilles, on the contrary, shows human features due to the fact that he matures next to Patroclus. The article concludes that the theme of formation and internal evolution of the person in the context of the initiation rite and mythological narratives plays a plot-forming role in modern American literature.

Policies for regulating initiation rites to enhance access of girls to education in southern Tanzania

ABSTRACT This article investigated cultural practices and the exclusion of girls from access to education in southern Tanzania using mixed methods. Primary data was collected using key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Purposive sampling was followed to sample 39 participants, including primary school students, teachers, parents, initiation ritual trainers, and education officers. The research found that the age of initiation rites changed from 12 to 18 years to 5 to10 years. Although the age for participation in initiation rituals was reduced, training content remained the same. Training content focused on preparing the passage from childhood to adulthood, focusing on sexuality and marriage. Initiation rituals resulted in girls as early as five years old being detracted from classroom instructions. The research recommends two sets of training related to initiation rites: that the first training be conducted before puberty for girls to navigate adolescence, fine-tuning the contents to focus on menstrual hygiene management and self-efficacy, while discouraging early engagement in sexual conduct; Second, that another training be conducted at age eighteen, or just before marriage, to prepare girls for family life. Finally, the research recommends policy action to set a minimum age for participation in initiation rites.

Hazing in the military: A scoping review

LAY SUMMARY Initiation rituals have existed in the military for a very long time. The goal of these traditions is generally to introduce (new) military personnel to the organization, to learn about hierarchies, practices, and norms, and to make sure personnel are committed to and identify with the armed forces. However, hazing can also occur. Hazing refers to initiation activities that are abusive and include harassment and humiliation. These activities can cause severe mental and physical harm to the health and well-being of military personnel. Hazing can also negatively affect the functioning and effectiveness of individuals and entire units in times of peace and war. Many military organizations and scholars agree that hazing is dangerous and unethical. However, hazing still exists. This scoping review was conducted to gain more insight into what is known about hazing in the military, why it occurs, and what may be done to prevent it. Findings show that more research is needed, and military organizations may have to rethink their approaches to hazing if they want to prevent it and protect personnel from harm.