Turner Revelation and Divination in Ndembu Ritual

Symbol, Myth, and Ritual
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5017-1719-2
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 352 Seiten, Format (B × H): 140 mm x 216 mm

Reihe: Symbol, Myth and Ritual

The core of this book is a complete description of two important Ndembu rituals of affliction (Chihamba and Kayong'u), and an analysis of the system of ideas underlying more than a dozen modes of divination. Written by an internationally-known social scientist, the book demonstrates how the study of small-scale events may reveal as much about what it means to be a human being in society as do grand macrosocial and macrocultural surveys.Drawing on two and a half years of fieldwork, Victor Turner offers two thorough ethnographic studies of Ndembu revelatory ritual and divinatory techniques, with running commentaries on symbolism by a variety of Ndembu informants. Striking a personal note in the introductory chapter, Turner acknowledges his indebtedness to Ndembu ritualists for alerting him to the theoretical relevance of symbolic action in understanding human societies. He believes that ritual symbols, like botanists' stains, enable us to detect and trace the movement of social processes and relationships that often lie below the level of direct observation.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Turner, Victor

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Sonstige Religionen Indigene Religionen
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Afrikanische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

IntroductionPart One. Chihamba the White Spirit: A Ritual Drama of the Ndembu1. Chihamba the White Spirit
2. Some Notes of the Symbolism of Chihamba
3. Some White Symbols in Literature and ReligionPart Two. Ndembu Divination: Its Symbolism and Techniques4. A Preliminary Analysis of Ndembu Divinatory Symbolism
5. Some Kinds and Methods of Ndembu DivinationAppendix
Bibliographic References
Index

Über Autor(innen)

TurnerVictor:
Victor Turner (1920–1983) was professor of religion and anthropology at the University of Chicago. He authored many books, including The Forest of Symbols: Aspects of Ndembu Ritual, Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society, and Revelation and Divination in Ndembu Ritual, all published by Cornell.