Paradoxes of Contemporary Euro-American Rituals: The Constraints of Welfare, the Search for the Extraordinary, and the Distrust of Transcendence

Date of Publication:

30.09.2024

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62800/NR.2024.3.01

Abstract:

The text concerns contemporary Euro-American rituals, discussing the challenges of defining what a ritual is and suggesting the use of Victor W. Turner’s concept of liminality. This concept focuses on the internal processes of ritual actions, which, by disrupting the usual order, create exceptional situations where anything becomes possible. Rituals thus reflect crucial social messages, values, and arrangements–and at the same time open up the possibility of reflecting and reshaping them. The analysis delves into the practice and context of Euro-American rituals, particularly through the themes of (1) the transformative power of rituals, (2) experiences of comfort and discomfort, and (3) the distinction between reality and the unreal.

Keywords:

liminality, risk, ritual, transformation, Victor W. Turner, welfare

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