One of the most ubiquitous features of human culture, myth relies on storytelling as its primary vehicles. As a type of storytelling, myth depends on symbolism, which is why the substantive nature of a myth remains the same even when the details of t Continue Reading...
She provides a thorough account concerning how Buddhism is one of the religions that came to have a strong influence on people's understanding of their culture. Thailand is a location where Buddhism is an active part of people's lives and this means Continue Reading...
Initiation ceremonies could last for weeks, involving singing and dancing, story telling, body decorations and ceremonial objects. Some of the stories are open to all the people of the tribe, while others are secret and meant only for the initiates. Continue Reading...
Anthropology The Songs of Salanda and Other Stories of Sulu by H. Arlo Nimmo is loosely based on the experiences he had conducting field work as an anthropologist. Nimmo injects into the narrative insight based on the two years in the mid-1960's he Continue Reading...
Anthropology -- Salvation on Sand Mountain: snake handling and redemption in southern Appalachia by Dennis Covington Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake handling and redemption in southern Appalachia by Dennis Covington tells the story of religious sn Continue Reading...
... further, that it would be only a question of time until the entire Pacific coast region would be controlled by the Japanese.' Yet Japan's ultimate aim was not limited to California or the Pacific Coast but was global domination achieved through a Continue Reading...
As Tapper (1995) points out, the three major approaches of Western social theory are each "flawed by their commitment to positivism, objectivity, and scientific detachment," (p. 186). Some may wonder how it could be possible to study religion with s Continue Reading...
Tom Shulich ("ColtishHum") A comparative study on the theme of fascination with and repulsion from Otherness in Song of Kali by Dan Simmons and in the City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre ABSRACT In this chapter, I examine similarities and difference Continue Reading...
Religion is an analysis of seven works that the author, Daniel Pals, believes have shaped the understanding of religion in the past century. These theories represent seminal attempts to see religion in its social context as a system of values and be Continue Reading...
Constructed Myths and Man's Purpose Since Nietzsche declared that God was dead, science and mankind have begun a twofold search. Nietzsche's declaration asserted that the need for God in the society's constructed identity no longer existed. The unde Continue Reading...
Religion and Urban Landscape Social Assimilation and Identity in Gods of the City by Robert Orsi Religion as a social institution is considered one of the most influential agents in the society. As an institution, religion plays a vital role in alt Continue Reading...
Confucianism: A Religion or Way of Life? Is Confucianism a religion? When studying another culture as an outsider, it is very important to keep in mind the concept that different societies have different definitions of certain concepts although cat Continue Reading...
Cultural anthropology otherwise known as the socio-cultural anthropology or social anthropology is basically the study of culture and is mainly founded on ethnography. Ethnography is based on the methodology of collection of primary data and is purel Continue Reading...
EB Tylor and James Frazier Accounts of Religion In comparing and contrasting the accounts of religion offered by E.B. Tyler and J.G. Frazer, it is noteworthy to mention that they were not contemporaries of one another. Frazer's ideas on the history Continue Reading...
Sect -- in sociology and anthropology, the term sect refers to a group that forms inside another group and takes on some individual characteristics that are based on, but not completely, like the parent or other group. In religion, for instance, de Continue Reading...
Language and Religion I visited the Anglican Church in my community, who congregates every Sunday at 10am. To gain access, I telephoned the Secretary of the church, who explained to me that services were open to any members of the public. She indica Continue Reading...
73). In spite of the fact that she is recognized for her work as an anthropologist and an ethnographer, it is difficult to determine the exact effect that her influence that this work had on her and on her writings. Given that she was coming from a Continue Reading...
Myth in a Work of Art Albert Camus was born on the 7th of November 1913 in Algeria from a French father and a Spanish mother. His father died in the First World War (seriously wounded in the battle of the Marne, he died a month later), so that Camu Continue Reading...
Culture of Sinhala Elite and Shiv Sena in Post-Colonial Asia This paper considers the issue of culture within the context of post colonial Asia. The paper examines the cultural strategies of two cultures; the Sinhala elite and Shiv Sena and how thes Continue Reading...
American Anthropology Jaguars and Were-Jaguars: Conceptions and Misconceptions in Olmec Culture There is not a question that jaguars were important to Mesoamerican religion and culture. The Olmecs were no exception to this rule. However, it seems Continue Reading...
More than one example would support the author's ability to make generalizations about gender related power struggles within the community. Stack conducted a formal quantitative study in Appendix A (Stack, p. 130) to support that conclusions that w Continue Reading...
Sociological perspective means a way of looking at religion that focuses on the human particularly social aspects of religious belief and practice. There are two characteristics that differentiate it from non-scientific approaches to religion, which Continue Reading...
When it comes to Jim Jones, it is a fact that the declaration of the day of dooms 5th May, 1967 not a reality to any normal person. Jones followers were so much brainwashed to believe that Guyanese Jungle could be immune from nuclear war. Freud's be Continue Reading...
Lukens drives home the idea that the problem of non-Islamic anthropologists trying to define and place boundaries on the faith to be able to compartmentalize it will always view it from a non-Islamic mindset, therefore will be unable to fully grasp Continue Reading...
Knowledge and search for knowledge is something that should tend to be absolute and not relative. In our lifetime, we should try to search for a universal truth and to try to discover as much as possible. In its basic sense, knowledge is the key to p Continue Reading...
Shamanic intervention is also a part of the social fabric of these cultures, and the Shaman is often consulted in terms of political and tribal disputes. The classic Shamanic trance or journey consists of a number of elements: Leaving the realm of Continue Reading...
Multicultural Manners Norine Dresser's Multicultural Manners was designed a handy guidebook for white, middle class Americans who have to deal with others of a different color, religion or ethnicity, either in big cities in the United States or over Continue Reading...
Yanomamo The Yanomami are an indigenous tribe also called Yanomamo, Yanomam, and Sanuma who live in the tropical rain forest of Southern Venezuela and Northern Brazil. The society is composed of four subdivisions of Indians. (Yanomami Indians) Each Continue Reading...
Their primary aim was to destabilize existing orders and this is what they accomplished with arts forms such as butoh. "Liminal entities are neither here nor there; they are betwixt and between the positions assigned and arrayed by law, custom, conv Continue Reading...
Reframing Pilgrimage: Cultures in Motion by Simon Coleman and John Ead is a book that challenges the notion that sacred travel is a form of 21st century, modern, cultural mobility. The authors attempt to analyze the meanings behind Christian, Hindu, Continue Reading...
start from the premise that, in some form or other and at some moment or other, people require order and leadership in their lives and, particularly, in their societies. The answer here does not propose to discuss why that is, although, as a general Continue Reading...
Religious Life of Planet Earth What does religion look like on Earth Religion depicts a relationship between spirituality and humanity and also shows how moral values are related to them. It comprises of an organized collection of world views, cult Continue Reading...
Freud makes it clear in one of his letters that he is atheist, though he denies attacking Christianity directly, but as a default to attacking Judaism, which was his faith of birth. It can be called an attack on religion only in so far as any scien Continue Reading...
Einstein's Theory of Relativity Jewish Science? This study examines the work of Gimbel (2012) entitled "Einstein's Jewish Science: Physics at the Intersection of Politics and Religion" and specifically pages 112-217 and seeks to answer the question Continue Reading...
Religious Ethics in Comparison Though the three religions reviewed and critiqued in this paper -- Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam -- have very different histories and quite original approaches to ethics, there are also a number of startling simila Continue Reading...
Personhood & Gender The scope, definition, depth and breadth of gender has evolved greatly over the years and centuries. Rather than get muddled down in the cavalcade of resources and opinions that focus on the definitions of personhood and gend Continue Reading...
Life After Death: Afterlife Within the Realm of Ancient Greek Beliefs The question as to what happens after death is not fathomable within human reason. As such, it remains one of the biggest mysteries of life. The belief in life after death is what Continue Reading...
Functionalism & structuralism in the works of Levi-Strauss, Eliade & Malinowski The functionalist and structuralist approaches to understanding human culture in the works of Claude Levi-Strauss, Mircea Eliade, and Bronislaw Malinowski The d Continue Reading...
..the Rastas have now penetrated the middle class. At present, the overwhelming majority of members are African, but there are also Chinese, East Indians, Afro-Chinese, Afro-Jews, mulattoes, and a few whites. Rastafarians are predominantly ex-Christi Continue Reading...
..formal and temporal purification" and were "under the old law, which provided...for formal, or ritualistic pardon, and restored to human fellowship, sin and transgressions remained, burdening the conscience." (Luther 1483-1546) Therefore, the old l Continue Reading...
