Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Chapter 13 - World View
Michael O’Neill and Randall Wood. 2015.
The Grammar of Happiness: Discovering the Unique Communication Style of an
Amazonian Tribe. Green Planet Films
Unresolved Question
- Does language shape the way we think and see the world (linguistic relativity)?
- Or is there a genetic component to language faculty so that the human brain is
hardwired with a basic framework for organizing language (universal grammar - i.e.
there is a a similar structure in all languages)?
Universal Grammar (Noam Chomsky)
- The theory of the genetic component of the language faculty, usually credited to
Noam Chomsky. Accordingly the human brain is hardwired with a basic framework
for organizing language that creates a universal grammar—a similar structure in all
languages.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
- The idea that di erent languages create di erent ways of thinking.
Does Daniel Everett adhere to the theory of the universal grammar?
No, because if the argument is about culture, there is nothing universal about
culture.
In the lm “The Grammar of Happiness” we learn more about Daniel Everett, a
linguist who is best known for his studies of the language of the Pirahã people of
the Amazon basin. For Everett, which element plays the most signi cant role in
the structuring language?
• religion
• emotions
1
fi ff ff fi
, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
• culture
• biology
Week 13
November 26, 2019 Part I – World view
Rumspringa
Rumspringa (meaning "running around"): "it is a time for the youths to attend their
parties and do those kinds of things (...) it is the time during which a person needs to
make his individual choices as to whether he will follow Jesus Christ or not and you
cannot make that decision until he is accountable which is generally accepted as over
the age of 16. He will hopefully of course make that decision positively, not only follow
Christ but also to be baptized and to become a member in the order of Amish.”
Arnold van Gennep (1873-1957)
Victor Turner (1920–1983)
Rite of Passage
A category of ritual that enacts a change of status from one life stage to another, either
for an individual or for a group.
3 primary stages in all rites of passage (according to Victor Turner)
(1) Seperation (physically, psychologically, or symbolically—from the normal, day-to-
day activities of the group)
(2) Liminality (period of outsiderhood set apart, from normal society that is key to
achieving a new perspective on the past, future, and current community). (Rumspringa
is during this phase)
(3) Reincorporation (returns of the individual to everyday life; the individual
reintegrates community transformed by the experience of liminality and endowed with
a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, and connection to the larger group)
2
, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Communitas
A sense of camaraderie, a common vision of what constitutes a good life, and a
commitment to take social action to move toward achieving this vision that is shaped
by the common experience of rites of passage.
How would you apply Turner’s theorization of ritual to what is documented in the lm
The Devil’s Playground? * Few questions on exam
Introduction
- Worldview: an encompassing picture of reality created by members of a society
• E.g., religion, culture, nation
- World views attempt to bring“order, regularity, and predictability” to their daily life
and all aspects associated with it (Horton)
3
fi
, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
The Role of Metaphor, Metonymy, and Symbol, cont’d
- Symbol: an image, object, action that stands for something else * nal exam
important and connection to religion
- People devise symbols to remind themselves of their signi cant insights and the
connections between those insights
• Summarizing symbols: represent a whole semantic domain and invite us to
consider the various elements within it (e.g. Canadian ag)
• Elaborating symbols: represent only one element of a domain and invite us to
place that element in its wider semantic context (e.g. cultural mosaic)
Religion
- There are many de nitions of religion, and it is di cult to nd one that encompasses
the diversity of beliefs and practices, but the textbook uses the following de nition:
• “Ideas and practices that postulate reality beyond that which is immediately
available to the senses” (Brown 2002: 5)
• Brown’s de nition emphasizes that religion involve beliefs and actions
Religious Organization
- Religious organization varies, but anthropologists have identi ed two broad
categories of religious specialists:
• Shamans: healers, religious practitioners with individual powers to communicate
with invisible forces
• Priests: a religious practitioner skilled in the practice of religious rituals, which he
or she carries out for the bene t of the group. Also applies to rabbis, imams, etc.,
skilled in ritual and scripture, and typically found in hierarchical societies.
Religion in Contemporary Society
- Religions can evolve through time and space based on social, economic, and
political pressures and cultural changes.
4
fi fi fi ffi fl fifi fi fi fi
, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
• E.g.,colonialism, growth of Pentecostal Christianity, and its impacts on traditional
religions
- The decline in religious participation in some areas and its decline in other areas
(varies by generation, rural/urban, immigration status, age, gender, etc.)
• Trans culturation: cultural changes resulting from contact between di erent
cultures
World Views in Operation: A case study
Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic among the Azande
- E. Evans-Pritchard
• The Azande used witch craft to explain unfortunate events, and employed oracles
and magic control to exert a measure of control over others
- Witchcraft: the practice of magic, whether intentional or not
- Magic: a set of beliefs and practices designed to control the visible or invisible world
for speci c purposes
- Oracles: invisible forces to which people address questions and whose responses
they believe to be truthful
Dakowski, Bruce, & Singer, André (dir.). (1980). Strange Beliefs: Sir Edward Evans-
Pritchard (1902-1973), Strangers Abroad Series.
- Mary Douglas determined two basic types of witchcraft accusations worldwide:
1. The witch is an outsider (can strengthen in-group ties)
2. The witch is an internal enemy (can weaken in-group ties)
- How people understand witch craft is based on the social relations of their society
Maintaining and Changing a World View
- Changes are related to practical experience of people in a society
5
fi ff
Chapter 13 - World View
Michael O’Neill and Randall Wood. 2015.
The Grammar of Happiness: Discovering the Unique Communication Style of an
Amazonian Tribe. Green Planet Films
Unresolved Question
- Does language shape the way we think and see the world (linguistic relativity)?
- Or is there a genetic component to language faculty so that the human brain is
hardwired with a basic framework for organizing language (universal grammar - i.e.
there is a a similar structure in all languages)?
Universal Grammar (Noam Chomsky)
- The theory of the genetic component of the language faculty, usually credited to
Noam Chomsky. Accordingly the human brain is hardwired with a basic framework
for organizing language that creates a universal grammar—a similar structure in all
languages.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
- The idea that di erent languages create di erent ways of thinking.
Does Daniel Everett adhere to the theory of the universal grammar?
No, because if the argument is about culture, there is nothing universal about
culture.
In the lm “The Grammar of Happiness” we learn more about Daniel Everett, a
linguist who is best known for his studies of the language of the Pirahã people of
the Amazon basin. For Everett, which element plays the most signi cant role in
the structuring language?
• religion
• emotions
1
fi ff ff fi
, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
• culture
• biology
Week 13
November 26, 2019 Part I – World view
Rumspringa
Rumspringa (meaning "running around"): "it is a time for the youths to attend their
parties and do those kinds of things (...) it is the time during which a person needs to
make his individual choices as to whether he will follow Jesus Christ or not and you
cannot make that decision until he is accountable which is generally accepted as over
the age of 16. He will hopefully of course make that decision positively, not only follow
Christ but also to be baptized and to become a member in the order of Amish.”
Arnold van Gennep (1873-1957)
Victor Turner (1920–1983)
Rite of Passage
A category of ritual that enacts a change of status from one life stage to another, either
for an individual or for a group.
3 primary stages in all rites of passage (according to Victor Turner)
(1) Seperation (physically, psychologically, or symbolically—from the normal, day-to-
day activities of the group)
(2) Liminality (period of outsiderhood set apart, from normal society that is key to
achieving a new perspective on the past, future, and current community). (Rumspringa
is during this phase)
(3) Reincorporation (returns of the individual to everyday life; the individual
reintegrates community transformed by the experience of liminality and endowed with
a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, and connection to the larger group)
2
, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Communitas
A sense of camaraderie, a common vision of what constitutes a good life, and a
commitment to take social action to move toward achieving this vision that is shaped
by the common experience of rites of passage.
How would you apply Turner’s theorization of ritual to what is documented in the lm
The Devil’s Playground? * Few questions on exam
Introduction
- Worldview: an encompassing picture of reality created by members of a society
• E.g., religion, culture, nation
- World views attempt to bring“order, regularity, and predictability” to their daily life
and all aspects associated with it (Horton)
3
fi
, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
The Role of Metaphor, Metonymy, and Symbol, cont’d
- Symbol: an image, object, action that stands for something else * nal exam
important and connection to religion
- People devise symbols to remind themselves of their signi cant insights and the
connections between those insights
• Summarizing symbols: represent a whole semantic domain and invite us to
consider the various elements within it (e.g. Canadian ag)
• Elaborating symbols: represent only one element of a domain and invite us to
place that element in its wider semantic context (e.g. cultural mosaic)
Religion
- There are many de nitions of religion, and it is di cult to nd one that encompasses
the diversity of beliefs and practices, but the textbook uses the following de nition:
• “Ideas and practices that postulate reality beyond that which is immediately
available to the senses” (Brown 2002: 5)
• Brown’s de nition emphasizes that religion involve beliefs and actions
Religious Organization
- Religious organization varies, but anthropologists have identi ed two broad
categories of religious specialists:
• Shamans: healers, religious practitioners with individual powers to communicate
with invisible forces
• Priests: a religious practitioner skilled in the practice of religious rituals, which he
or she carries out for the bene t of the group. Also applies to rabbis, imams, etc.,
skilled in ritual and scripture, and typically found in hierarchical societies.
Religion in Contemporary Society
- Religions can evolve through time and space based on social, economic, and
political pressures and cultural changes.
4
fi fi fi ffi fl fifi fi fi fi
, Tuesday, November 26, 2019
• E.g.,colonialism, growth of Pentecostal Christianity, and its impacts on traditional
religions
- The decline in religious participation in some areas and its decline in other areas
(varies by generation, rural/urban, immigration status, age, gender, etc.)
• Trans culturation: cultural changes resulting from contact between di erent
cultures
World Views in Operation: A case study
Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic among the Azande
- E. Evans-Pritchard
• The Azande used witch craft to explain unfortunate events, and employed oracles
and magic control to exert a measure of control over others
- Witchcraft: the practice of magic, whether intentional or not
- Magic: a set of beliefs and practices designed to control the visible or invisible world
for speci c purposes
- Oracles: invisible forces to which people address questions and whose responses
they believe to be truthful
Dakowski, Bruce, & Singer, André (dir.). (1980). Strange Beliefs: Sir Edward Evans-
Pritchard (1902-1973), Strangers Abroad Series.
- Mary Douglas determined two basic types of witchcraft accusations worldwide:
1. The witch is an outsider (can strengthen in-group ties)
2. The witch is an internal enemy (can weaken in-group ties)
- How people understand witch craft is based on the social relations of their society
Maintaining and Changing a World View
- Changes are related to practical experience of people in a society
5
fi ff
