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!Theorizing*Ritual:*Practice,*Doxa,*Consequence*!
!
Samuel!Veissire,!Depts!of!Anthropology!&!Transcultural!Psychiatry,!McGill!
University!
!
(Teaching!document)!
!
!
Overview:!
!
In!this!brief!guide!to!the!interpretation!of!collective!action!for!anthropologists!in!
training,!I!propose!a!logicalHconsequentialist!framework!for!identifying!clusters!of!
experience!and!indirect!responsibility!in!the!impact!of!behaviour!that!reflects!
internalized!structures!performed!implicitly,!but!rigidly!by!social!actors.!I!propose!a!
definition!of!ordinary!ritual!action!by!borrowing!insights!from!Rappaport,!Turner,!
Bourdieu,!Sperber,!Boyer,!&!Linard,!and!expand!on!ways!to!interpret!1)!the!
fuzziness!of!meaning,!and!2)!the!material!consequence!of!collective!action.!
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ANTH%358%Veissire%Fall%2014% 1%
Ritual,(semiosis,(and(meaning(in(action:(an(interpretive(guide(for(
anthropological(research((
(
!
1. Making)sense)of)meaninglessness)in)ritual:)categories)of)experience)
)
!(skip!to!#2!below!if!you!need!to!brush!up!on!the!debate!between!public!&!
private!language)%
%
Why%do%people%do%what%they%do?%In%Marxs%famous%definition%of%ideology,%they%do%
not%know%it,%but%they%are%doing%it%(Sie!wissen!das!nicht,!aber!sie!tun!es).%%%
The%question%of%why%people%imitate%each%other%and%tend%to%follow%hierarchical%order%
and%the%implicit%rules%of%whatever%institutional%game%they%happen%to%be%in%requires%
further%theorizing.%%For%now,%let%us%simply%note%that:%%
%
a) people%are%often%unable%to%provide%explanations%for%why%they%do%what%they%
do;%%
%
b) when%explanations%are%present,%they%tend%to%differ%significantly%even%within%
highly%homogeneous%groups%who%perform%the%same%actions.%%
%
%
In%light%of%this%problem,%I%have%proposed%a%very%basic%definition%of%ritual%pared%
down%to%a%fundamental%dynamic%found%in%all%cultures.%
%
(anthropological!definition.):%Ritual%is%any%%socially%scripted,%but%implicitly%
performed%collective%behaviour%reiterated%across%or%within%groups%over%long%
periods%of%time,%and%characterized%by%soft%invariance,%rigidity,%compulsion,%
specific%themes,%and%only%very%loose%or%no%connections%between%intention,%
endXresult,%and%explicit%cosmology.%%
%
(lay!definition)%stuff%people%do%compulsively,%rigidly,%and%in%ways%that%seem%
personal%and%logical%to%them%because%other%people%are%also%doing%it.,%
%
This%definition%builds%on%Boyer%and%Linard%culturalXselection%model%of%ritual,%which%
itself%builds%on%Rappaport,%obvious,%or%ordinary%aspects%of%every%day%action.%%A%
ritual%in%this%model%neednt%be%formal,%dogmatic,%expertXdependent,%or%explicitly%
linked%to%religion,%spirituality,%or%any%explicit%attempt%to%formalize%the%social%and%
ontological%order%of%a%cosmology.%%%In%order%for%an%action%to%be%a%ritual,%it%must%simply%
be!performed!by!enough!people,!within!or!across!a!large?enough!group,!and!over!a!
long?enough!period!of!time.%%
%
If%you%look%around%you%in%a%public%place,%you%will%see%people%doing%things%that%other%
people%are%doing,%and%that%other%have%been%doing%for%some%time.%So%men%wearing%
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ties,%women%putting%on%make%up,%people%crossing%roads,%or%others%not%picking%up%
litter%all%constitute%ritual%action.%%
%
A%ritual,%as%such,%is%more%like%a%trend%or%a%meme.%If%it%is%culturally%successful,%it%is%
found%within%a%group%or%across%groups%(like%circumcision,%or%not%eating%pork).%If%it%is%
a%fad%(like%tamagotchis%or%the%iceXbucket%challenge),%it%is%unsuccessful,%or%fails%to%live%
on%as%a%ritual.%And%so%it%goes%toward%the%micro:%a%familys%ritual%to%speak%Latin%at%the%
dinner%table%on%Sunday%may%fail%to%get%passed%on%to%the%next%generation,%and%so%
might%a%group%of%friends%ritual%to%pinch%each%other%on%the%left%ear%whenever%they%are%
together%in%a%car%at%11:11pm;%this%is%likely%not%to%be%successfully%accepted%by%more%
friends%and%groups.%The%THCXenthusiasts%4:20%ritual%to%light%up%together%on%April%
20th%of%each%year,%conversely,%has%proven%successful.%%In%Section%2,%we%will%return%to%
the%problematic%notion%that,%in%this%model,%rituals%appear%to%have%a%will%and%goals%of%
their%own.%%Suffice%it%for%now%to%reiterate%some%of%the%characteristics%of%rituals%
identified%by%Boyer%and%Linard%:%
%
no%obvious%goals%or%meaning;%goal%demotion:%(doesnt!always!apply!in!the!
case!of!formal!dogma)%
Compulsion%
Literalism%and%rigidity%
Repetition,%reiteration,%and%redundancy%
Order%and%boundaries%
Specific%occasion%%
Danger%of%nonXperformance%%
Detailed%prescriptions%%%
%
To%this%list,%I%add%three%more%important%features:%%
%
Rituals%always%involve%more%environments,%symbols,%things,%people,%and%
states%of%affairs%than%those%immediately%apparent%features%of%performance%
Rituals%always%have%consequences%on%more%environments,%people,%things,%and%
states%of%affairs%than%those%immediately%apparent%in%specific%performance%
Rituals%have%different%meanings%and%consequences%for%different%people,%but%
within%clusters%of%fuzziness.%%
%
While%we%will%return%to%more%minute%theorizing%of%fuzziness,%let%us%now%propose%a%
tentative%framework%of%convenient%reductionisms%to%identify%categories!of!experience!
in%the%performance%and%consequences%of%meaning.%%
%
Recall%how%a%monothetic)category%refers%a%discrete%set%or%a%homogeneous%family%
resemblance%(in%Wittgensteins%terms)%in%which%members%of%a%class%are%similar%(i.e.,%
a%bag%o%f%green%apples).%A%polythetic)category,%in%turn,%is%a%fuzzy%set%in%which%there%is%
as%much%difference%as%resemblance%between%members%of%a%class%(i.e.,%a%bag%of%fruits).%%%
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Now%consider%more%gradients%in%fuzzy%subsets%or%supersets.%E.g.,%we%can%put%all%bags%
of%fruits%with%bags%of%veggies%with%bags%of%live%humans%and%bags%of%ants%and%
antelopes%in%a%broad,%fuzzy%superset%of%living%things.%%
%
We%will%see%that%meaning%(the%meaning%of%a%sign,%a%symbol,%or%action)%is%always%too%
personal,%too%fuzzy,%and%too%transient%to%be%ascribed%to%any%preXexisting%categories%
with%invariant%certainties%(X%always%means%Y.)%%We%could%propose,%for%example,%that%
the%colour%red%always%symbolizes%menstrual%blood%among%humans%in%general,%or%in%
the%rituals%of%a%particular%group.%%We%might%take%this%interpretive%project%further%and%
claim%that%menstrual%blood%(as%metaphorically%referred%to%in%ritual),%in%turn,%always%
symbolizes%the%nurturing%role%of%women,%and%carries%a%legitimizing%function%to%make%
female%subjects%conform%to%certain%institutional%roles.%While%some%rituals%may%have%
been%designed%with%the%specific%intent%to%institutionalize%certain%ideas%about%
femininity,%we%must%note%that,%in%practice,%the%colour%red%as%a%sign%or%symbol%will%
refer%to%an%infinite%variety%of%specific%or%vague%things,%ideas,%emotions,%memories,%
speculations,%and%states%of%affairs%in%different%contexts%and%for%different%people.%%
%
In%keeping%with%categories(of(experiences!(who!experiences!ritual!in!what!ways),%we%
can%approach%the%study%of%ritual%action%through%a%consequentialist!framework.!In%
this%model,%the%only%objective%statements%that%can%be%made%about%any%action%are%in%
terms%of%its%consequences.%%For%example,%either%500%people%died%in%an%event%or%they%
did%not.%That%is%very%real.%What%kinds%of%ritual%practices%and%ways%of%justifying%and%
not%justifying%them%contributed%to%that%event?%%What%categories%of%experiences%can%
we%identify?%%From%an%ethically%pluralist%perspective,%for%example,%when,%where%and%
how%can%be%identity%that,%as%Isaiah%Berlin%put%it,%freedom%to%the%wolf%is%death%to%the%
lamb?%
%Specific%meaning%from%the%lived%experiences%of%people%caught%at%various%ends%of%
collective%actions%and%their%consequences,%thus,%can%be%described,%interpreted,%and%
critiqued.%%
%
To%recap:%categories)of)experience%may%refer%to%distinct%groups%that%already%have%
a%name%for%themselves%or%have%been%named%(e.g.,%laypeople%vs%experts,),%or%they%can%
be%(conveniently,%but%never%accurately!)%delineated%by%the%anthropologist%herself%
(e.g.,%she%may%notice%that%a%group%of%her%informants%identify%with%a%particular%story,%
or%suffer%particular%consequences,%etc.)%
%
Let%us%consider%an%example%N,%where%N%is%the%formal%ritual%of%going%through%the%
Canadian%border.%%Here,%I%am%using%some%logical%symbols1%for%the%sake%of%conceptual%
clarity.%The%goal%is%to%identify%more%people,%categories%of%experience,%symbols,%
ordinary%forms%of%ritual%action,%and%categories%of%consequences%that%are%also%
dependent%on%Ritual%N.%%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1%Symbolic%logic%is%not%often%used%in%anthropology%so%dont%bother%with%that%language%unless%you%are%personally%(or%ritualistically)%compelled%to%do%so.%For%the%real%deal%in%fuzzy%logic,%try%this.%%For%another%
notable%exception,%see%Gregory%Batesons%Steps!to!an!Ecology!of!Mind.!!
%
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Observing%ritual%N%(people%driving%or%walking%through%the%Canadian%border%with%
customs%and%immigration%check),%we%can%proceed%to%identity%more%dimensions,%
where,%e.g.:%
%
%
status%symbol%X%[e.g.,!a!Canadian!passport],%is%ritualized%as%a%criterion%for%
membership%to%Group%C.%[the!set!of!all!Canadians]%%
%
X%and%C%are%dependent%on%(and%refer%to)%ta%broad%superset%of%practice%Y%
[specific!Canadian!citizenship?defining?and?granting!criteria!+!international!
border!criteria!for!movement!on!the!planet],%the%symbol%may%mean%very%
different%things%to%different%people,%but%the%ritual,%in%practice,%has%very%real%
consequences%for%all%involved,%including:%
%
%a%large%group%we%can%call%%C%[not?C;!the!set!of!all!non?Canadians].%
%
%C,%in%turn,%can%be%divided%in%further%subsets%of%nonXCanadians,%where,%e.g.,%
%
F=French,%S=Somalis,%and%G=Guatemalans,%etc,%so:%
%
%(F,%S,%G)%%%C%%%
%
or:%
%
F%%%C%%%
S%%%C%%%
G%%%C%%%
%
[F,!S,!and!G!are!all!subsets!of!the!superset!of!non?Canadians]%
%
As%fuzzy%as%the%sets%F,%S,%and%G%may%be%[there!are!enormous!differences!in!
individual!and!private!experiences!within!each!set!of!French,!Somalis,!and!
Guatemalans],%there%are%identifiable%trends%of%practice%in%the%current%political%
order%of%things,%where,%say:%
%
%(S%
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the%purpose%of%conceptual%clarity%and%possible%invariance%(human%affairs%are%often,%
but%not%always,%textural%variations%of%the%same%structural%recipes),%rather,%what%
anthropologists%do%best%is%to%expose,%describe,%and%critique%the%fuzziness.%%
%
Let%us%take%the%example%further.%%The%class%C%(all%Canadians),%can%be%divided%into%
more%subclasses%(say,%iC,%indigenous%Canadians;%or%wiC,%white%Canadians%born%in%
Canada;%%or%aC,%Canadians%born%abroad;%or%caC,%nonXwhite%Canadians%born%abroad,%
etc.).%Again,%we%may%identify%a%pattern%where,%e.g.:%%
%
(caC%
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Literalism)and)rigidity:))Must!be!performed!in!exactly!the!same!way!and!
same!order:)very%specific%criteria%for%Canadian%citizenship:%must%be%born%in%
Canada,%or%born%of%a%Canadian%parent,%or%meet%highly%specific%economic,%
cultural,%linguistic,%educational,%and%health%criteria%to%become%eligible%
through%a%highly%specific%process.)
Repetition,)reiteration,)and)redundancy:)(these!criteria!must!always!be!
performed!in!exactly!the!same!way;!there!are!no!exceptions!to!the!rule.!)
Order)and)boundaries.)))Very%specific%bureaucracies,%protocols,%timelines,%
and%international%systems%that%include%microchips,%machines%guns,%people%
who%get%very%angry%or%hopeful,%and%others%who%get%killed%to%ensure%that%the%
order%and%boundaries%of%Ritual%Y%are%enforced.%)
Specific)occasion:%one%can%only%apply%for%citizenship%within%specific%times%
and%protocols,%etc.)
Danger)of)nonGperformance:))ha!%Try%disobeying%every%protocol%for%
citizenship,%sociality,%and%access!)
Detailed)prescriptions:%etc.))
Rituals)always)involve)more)symbols,)things,)people,)states)of)affairs)
than)those)immediately)apparent)features)of)performance:%%%the%%C%%%(all%
nonXcanadians)%categories,%and%subsets%we%have%identified)
Rituals)always)have)consequences)on)more)people,)things,)and)states)of)
affairs)than)those)immediately)apparent)in)specific)performance:)Here,%
we%need%to%question%a%broad%militarized%capitalist%geopolitical%order%to%ask%
why%some%people%are%entitled%to%move%in%certain%places,%and%others%arent,%
and%others%still%are%killed%when%they%do%not%obey%these%rules.%)
%
)
One%may%theorize%in%a%variety%of%directions%from%here%on.%The%political%and%ecological%
factors%(countries,%borders,%machine%guns,%microchips),%the%various%kinds%of%
institutionallyXconstituted%actors%(white%Canadians,%nonXwhite%Guatemalans,%etc.),%
and%the%structure%of%ritual%N%all%interact%in%complex%ways%that%can%be%described%and%
critiqued.%It%may%be%morally%important,%for%example,%to%expose%the%human%violence%of%
Ritual%Y%with%stories%of%lived%experiences%from%different%actors.%%It%may%also%be%
theoretically%possible%to%establish%convenient%(if%not%entirely%accurate)%sets%of%
common%trends%in%meaning.%%
%
Victor%Turners%classes%of%ritual%data%and%types%of%symbolic%information%will%be%
useful%for%this%task.%
%
Recall%how,%for%Turner,%specific%actions%and%interpretations%can%be%observed%and%
collected%from%various%classes%of%experts%and%laypeople%(e.g.,%immigration%officials%
and%workers,%different%classes%of%citizens%and%immigrants,%etc.%%what%I%call%
categories%of%experience).%The%broader%significant!context,%can%then%be%worked%by%
anthropologists%from%concrete%engagement%with%the%utterances%and%actions%of%as%
many%of%those%actors%as%possible.%%
%
Recall,%in%turn,%the%Jungian%distinction%between:%
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%
a%sign,%which%stands%for%something%relatively%stable%and%understood%(the%
word%border%or%a%border%road%sign%for%the%actual%border),%
%
a%symbol,%which%stands%for%something%much%more%complex%and%less%
understood,%but%nevertheless%posited%to%exist%(like%Canada:%what%does%the%
written%symbol%Canada%stand%for?%Canada%can%only%be%explained%through%
reference%to%other%fuzzy%symbols%that%refer%to%other%fuzzy%symbols%like%
country,%citizenry,%history%that%are%neither%clear%things%nor%clear%states%of%
affair.%Yet,%we%take%it%for%granted%that%they%exist!%%%
%
Another%useful%semiotic%dimension%identified%by%C.%S.%Peirce%is%that%of%the%
interpretant.)(%A%sign%or%symbol%does%not%stand%freely%between%an%idea%and%a%thing,%
fact,%or%state%of%affairs,%but%is%also%contextualized%in%the%way%it%is%received%or%
interpreted%by%somebody:%signs%are%interpreted%by%people.%%
%
Turners%further%distinction%between%dominant(and%instrumental(symbols%will%be%
of%further%assistance%to%our%interpretive%task.%%
%
Dominant)symbols%express%fuzzy,%but%relatively!fixed!features%of%a%known%
spatial%and%temporal%environment%(an%official%for%the%government,%a%
passport%for%a%country).%%
%
Instrumental!symbols%are%more%contextXspecific%and%variable,%but%are%also%
relatively%fixed%in%narrower%contexts.%They%can%be%doxatic%(e.g.,%specific%skin%
pigmentation%or%styles%of%dress%of%certain%citizens%or%prospective%citizens%
determining%their%implicit%membership%in%various%categories%of%difficult%
access),%or%dogmatic,%(e.g..,%the%secret%code%used%by%immigration%officers%on%
customs%card,%(usually%letterXnumber%combinations%such%as%R11%or%V88)%
which%carry%specific%meanings%such%as%no%inspection%required,%or%
suspected%X%or%Y,%take%to%secondary%inspection).%%
%
%
Signs%and%symbols%(dominant%and%instrumental),%always%interact%in%specific%
contexts,%so,%an%immigrant%going%through%the%border%[is!the!border!a!sign,!a!symbol,!
or!a!thing?]%may%be%interpreted%and%interpolated%through%both%dominant!symbols%
(the%country%her%passport%stands%for),%but%also%through%her%skin%pigmentation,%
voice,%gait,%style%of%dress,%etc%(instrumental!symbols).%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
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%
!
2))Locating(meaning:(immanence(without(fixture.!!
%
Here,%we%return%to%the%notion%of%ritual%as%a%trend,%a%meme,%or%a%culturally%successful%
unit%of%thought%and%action.%We%know%that%humans%are%compelled%to%engage%in%
relatively%meaningless%ritual.%But%there%is%a%problem%of%agency%here:%who%is%the%
subject%that%compels?%
%
Note%how%things%get%muddled%with%the%notion%of%success%or%failing%to%live%on%as%a%
ritual%or%trend.%
%Do%rituals%have%agency%of%their%own?%Do%corn%and%marijuana,%as%Michael%Pollan%
almost%suggests,%have%specific%goals%and%strategies%to%colonize%humans%by%fooling%
them%into%ritual%consumption?%This%seems%silly.%Do%scheming%individuals%consciously%
gather%in%groups%that%are%greater%than%the%sum%of%their%parts%to%compete%actively%for%
the%success%of%their%rituals?%This%may%be%the%case%in%highly%formalized%(and%
thankfully%rare)%events%like%organized%sports,%war,%religious%proselytizing,%formal%
schooling2,%or%legal%forms%of%discrimination,%but%the%results%of%silent%ritual%wars%are%
more%arbitrary.%Further,%all%the%aforementioned%ritualized%practices%(organized%
sports,%war,%religion,%education,%discrimination)%have%consequences%that%are,%for%the%
most%part,%entirely%divorced%from%the%conscious%goals%of%individuals%who%participate%
in%them%or%work%to%maintain%their%existence.%%
%
A%preliminary%answer%to%our%question%is%that%no%nonXhuman%or%groupXhuman%
conscious%mind%can%be%found%for%our%explanation%of%ritual,%and%that%individuals%
minds%are%not%enough.%To%be%sure,%there%are%strange%dynamics%to%Groupthink%and%
weXmode,%in%which%individual%volitions%seem%to%be%subsumed%to%ultimately%random%
whatever%everybody%else%is%doingXconformity,%but%it%would%be%too%simplistic%to%
propose%that%groups%display%conscious,%goalXdirected%mental%processes%of%their%own.%%
%
This%takes%us%back%to%the%fuzziness%problem.%The%volition%for%ritual%seems%to%reside%
neither!in%discrete%peoples%heads/bodies/actions,%nor%in%ritual%itself,%which%cannot%
exist%without%human%action.%Human%action%is%itself%an%abstraction,%and%not%a%thing%at%
all.%Ritual%is%a%paradox.%%What%then?%
%
Let%us%return%to%the%public%vs.%private%language%debate.%Sperber%defines%cultural%
representations%as%a%fuzzy!subset!of!the!set!of!mental!and!public!representations!
inhabiting!a!given!social!group.%%
We%may%equally%define%private!mental!representations!as!a!fuzzy!subset!of!the!
superset!of!public!representations!that!are!culturally!and!ecologically!available!to!the!
members!of!a!given!group.!
%Yet,%the%superset!of!culture%only%exists%in%the%minds%and%actions%of%people%who%
practice%it.%Even%letterXandXnumberXsigns%in%a%book%or%the%internet%only%have%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%2%No%longer%so%rare%!%
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meaning%in%the%individual%heads%of%the%individuals%who%access%them.%%Their%meaning%
is%not%outside,%but%inside,!or%in!between,!or%in!the!whole!system.!!
%Each%sign,%representation,%or%action%will%have%different%meanings%to%each%member.%
Yet,%the%superset%holds!!
Quine%sums%up%this%dilemma%eloquently%in%his%discussion%of%the%%"chaotic%subjective%
diversity%of%connections%between%words%and%experiences"%that%underlie%"uniformity%
in%communication":%
%
Different%persons%growing%up%in%the%same%language%are%like%different%
bushes%trimmed%and%trained%to%take%the%shape%of%identical%elephants.%
The%anatomical%details%of%twigs%and%branches%will%fill%the%elephantine%
forms%differently%from%bush%to%bush,%but%the%overall%outward%results%are%
the%same.%(Willard%Van%Orman%Quine,%Word!and!Object,%1960).%
%
%
Which%set%is%fuzzier,%then?%The%set%of%individual%human%subjective%experiences,%or%
the%superset%of%culture%that%is%available%to%them?%Clearly,%neither%set%can%exist%
without%the%other,%and%neither%can%exist%outside%of%an%environment,%so%there%is%only%
one%broad,%fuzzy,%rhizomatic%environmental%set.%The%(sub+super)set%of%culture,%
thus,%only%exists%as%a%property%of%environments;%environments%in%which%we%are%
embedded,%but%which%we%enmind%and%embody,%and%without%which%we%as%humans%
cannot%exist.%%
%
This%chaos%of%individual%subjective%experiences,%however,%should%not%be%understood%
as%an%unfortunate%manifestation%of%the%imperfect%unruliness%of%humans,%but%as%a%
fundamental!feature!of!human!communication.%%In%the%quote%below,%Gregory%Bateson%
explains%why%ambiguity,%contingency%and%a%nonXfinite%levels%of%falseXbeliefs%are%
integral%properties%of%the%symbolic%technology%that%is%language%(note:!for!humans,!all!
technologies!are!symbolic,!because!they!always!refer!to!something!else!and!a!
culturally!attributed!function):%
%
%
If%we%speculate%about%the%evolution%of%communication,%it%is%evident%that%
a%very%important%stage%in%this%evolution%occurs%when%the%organism%
gradually%ceases%to%respond%quite%automatically%to%the%moodXsigns%of%
another%and%becomes%able%to%recognize!the!sign!as!a!signal:%that%is,%to%
recognize%that%the%other%individuals%and%its%own%signals%are%only%
signals,%which%can%be%trusted,%distrusted,%falsified,%denied,%amplified,%
corrected,%and%so%forth.%(Gregory%Bateson,%A%Theory%of%Play%and%
Fantasy,%in%Steps!to!an!Ecology!of!Mind.!Emphasis!mine)%
%
%
Here,%Bateson%is%telling%us%that%language!is!always!about!language;%not%because%signs%
and%symbols%always%miss%the%mark%of%what%they%are%expected%to%stand%for,%but%
because%the%intentional,%falsifiable,%goalXdirected%ideas%exchanged%through%language%
are%precisely%that:%ideas%about%states%of%affairs,%but%not%states%of%affairs%themselves.%%
-
ANTH%358%Veissire%Fall%2014% 10%
We%when%exchange%words%and%ideas,%then,%we%always%treat%them%as%ideas,%and%not%as%
actual%states%of%affairs.%%If%I,%the%professor,%tell%students%about%the%midterm,%their%
thoughts%are%not%directed%toward%a%discrete,%actual%state%of%affairs%in%time%and%space.%
Rather,%they%are%treating%midterm%as%a%contextually%instrumental%symbol%and%
proceed%to%ask%themselves%a%series%of%hypothetical%questions%about%what%might%be%
covered%on%the%test,%what%I%might%assume%is%important%testable%content,%what%they%
might%assume%is%important%content,%how%fair%it%all%is,%etc.%This%is%true%regardless%of%
whether%the%exam%has%yet%to%happen,%has%already%occurred,%or%is%taking%place%right%
now.%%
Words%in%this%sense%are%soundXthings%of%the%World,%and%for%humans,%they%are%always%
embedded%with%an%openXended,%or%fuzzy%set%of%contextual,%multiple,%hypothetical,%
perspectival,%intentional%meanings.%%%
%
Meaning%as%such%is%never%a%fixed%intrinsic!property%of%anything,%but%it%is%not%external%
and%transcendent%either.%%
%
It%is%immanent%(not%intrinsic);%
it%is%in%motion%and%action%(not%fixed);%
It%exists%perspectivally%in%a%system%of%relations%(not%in%discrete%things%and%
facts);%
It%is%immanent%in%that%system%(not%transcendent).%%
%
%
Fig.)1)The%Ecological%Model%of%Semiosis)
)
)
-
ANTH%358%%Veissire%2014%
! !%
%
%%%%%%%
-
ANTH%358%%Veissire%2014%
!
Fig.!5.%%%Habitus%and%the%Three%Bodies%(adapted%from%ScheperCHughes%&%Lock;%
Mauss;%Bourdieu).%
%
%
%
%
Body%individual%
%Body%politic%
%Body%social%%habitus%
-
ANTH%358%%Making%Up%People%%(Bourdieu%+%Hacking)%
%
Bourdieu%in%a%diagrammatic%nutshell%
%
%
The%problem:%%% Symbolic'violence' !%
How%it%works:%%
% % % % Social'reproduction'
% % % % % !%Field%
% % % % % !Cultural%capital%
% % % % % !%Distinction%
% % % % % !%Masculine%domination%
% % % % % !Doxa%
!Habitus%
Solution:%
% !% % % % Reflexivity'
%
%
%
%
! !
-
ANTH%358%Veissiere%%levels%of%doxatization% %
In#the#beginners#mind#there#are#many#possibilities,#but#in#the#experts#there#are#few.#
#
Degrees&of&doctrinary&prescription:&
1.%Dogma:%very%formal%(e.g..%law)%
2.%1st%degree%(hard)%doctrine:%formal%protocols%governing%action;%formal%skills%
(reading,%driving,%etc.)%
3.%2nd%degree%(soft)%doctrine:%informal%skills%(e.g.,%crossing%the%road;%
proxemics)%
4.%doxa:%common%sense%
%
%
Consciousness&level& Narrative&level& Rule&level&
%
Abstract,%hard%to%get,%
recall,%explain,%practice,%
and%obey.%Requires%highly%
specific%training.%%
%
%
%
Counter;intuitive#
#
High#system#2#
%
%
hard%doctrine%
(dogma)%
%
Formal,%legal%codes,%laws%
%
Formal,%cosmological%narratives%
(religious%or%scientific)%
%
Usually%written%down%and%
handled%by%/%outsourced%to%
experts%
%
Rule#almost#always#broken#in#
practice##even#collectively#(most#
people#do#not#really#observe#
them)#
%
Abstract,%need%to%be%
taught%or%shown,%but%can%
be%explained,%recalled%and%
observed%with%some%
training/immersion.%
%
Minimally#counter;
intuitive#
#
Becomes#semi;conscious#or#
subconscious.##
#
System#2##shallow#Sys1#
%
Soft%doctrine,%1st%degree%
(protocols)%
Formal%protocols%governing%
etiquette,%manners,%order,%and%
behaviour%in%contextWspecific%
situations%
%
Formal%skills.%%
%
May%be%written%down,%but%text%&%
experts%no%longer%needed%when%
assimilated%
%
%
Rules#often#broken,#but#not#often#
collectively#
#
#
#
-
ANTH%358%Veissiere%%levels%of%doxatization% %
Concrete.%Is%learned%
through%minimally%formal%
instruction,%immersion,%
and%mimicry%
%
Can%be%shown%to%be%an%
abstract%rule%with%
intellectual%effort.%Difficult%
to%explain%
Intuitive#/#mostly#sub;
conscious#
%
Sys%1.%%
%
%
%
Soft%doctrine,%2nd%degree%
Techniques%of%the%Body,%1st%
Order%
%
%
Informal%skills%required%to%
function%effectively%within%a%
group%
Possibilities of movement and
prescribed activities available or
not to members of a society.
Rarely%written%down%and%expertW
led.%Organic%and%highly%interactive%
%
Rule#is#rarely#broken,#almost#
always#individually#
Completely%enskilled.#
Permeates%deepest%
assumptions%and%emotions#
about%the%order%of%things.%%
%
Extremely%difficult%to%be%
retranslated%and%
relativized%as%an%abstract%
rule.%Requires%deep%
unlearning#and%strong%
discomfort#
%
%
Intuitive#
Subconscious##
%
Deep#System#1.##
%
Doxa%
%
Techniques%of%the%body,%%
2nd%order%
%
common%sense,%common%
knowledge,%convictions,%taste,%
desire,%repulsion,%fear,%etc%
%
ways%of%walking,%sleeping,%eating,%
sitting,%feeling,%etc%
%
everyday%action%and%cognition%
%
never%formally%written%down%as%a%
code%
%
%
overall,%rule%is%never%broken.%%
%
%
-
ANTH%358%Veissiere%%levels%of%doxatization% %
%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%
%
%
%
%
%
% % %
% %
% %
%
% % %
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
1:%Dogma%
2:%Protocol%
3:%Soft%Doctrine%
4:%Doxa%
%
thinking%voice%
consciousness%zone%
%%%%%%%%%%1%
%
%%%%%%%2%
%
%
%%%%%%%3%
%
%
%
%
% 4%
-
ANTH%358%Veissire%%%%%Scripts,%Consciousness,%&%Features%of%Ordinary%Ritual%(Adapted%from%Turner,%Rappaport,%Boyer%&%
Linard)%
Script'&'Consci.' Features'of'Ritual' Type'of''body' Type'of'sign/symbol'
Doxa%(implicit)%%
%
actors'of'ritual'
cannot'explain'why'
they'feel'compelled'
to'engage'in'action,'
or'will'have'a'
variety'of'
incommensurable'
explanations'
%
%
No%obvious%goal;%goal%demotion%
Feeling%of%compulsion%
%
%
INDIVIDUAL%
BODY%
Instrumental%symbols%
(context%specific,%elusive,%
personal,%propositional,%
etc.)%
%
Dogma%(explicit)%
with'some'effort,'all'
these'rules'can'be'
identified'and'
explained'by'actors.''
Goals'remain'
elusive'
%
Literalism%&%rigidity%
Repetition,%reiteration,%redundancy%
Order%&%boundaries%
Specific%occasions%
Danger%of/anxiety%about%non%performance%
Detailed%prescriptions%
%
%
POLITICAL%
BODY%
Signs%
Dominant%symbols%
(relatively%fixed%
dominant%references;%
may%refer%to%elusive%
categories%nonetheless%
posited%to%exist)%
Interpretation%
significant'context'
worked'out'by'
anthropologists%
Ritual/ordinary%action%always%
includes/refers'to%more%symbols,%persons,%
things%and%states%of%affairs%than%what%is%
readily%apparent%in%the%observable%features%
of%specific%action%
%
Ritual/ordinary%action%always%has'
consequences'on%persons,%things%and%states%
of%affairs%that%are%not%readily%apparent.%
%%%%%All%three% %
SOCIAL%
BODY%
-
358$Veissire$$$$One$Example$of$Goal$Demotion$in$Ritual$$ $
A$student$asked$me$to$explain$goal?demotion$in$the$case$of$an$apparently$obvious$
ritual:$
$
Ritual:$$$many$woman$put$on$lip?stick$before$being$seen$in$public$
Apparent$goal:$women$want$their$lips$to$look$a$certain$colour.$$
$
Now$we$need$to$unpack$how,$in$theory$and$practice,$there$is$no$such$apparent$goal.$$
$
Lets$recap:$$
$
1)$many$women$feel$compelled$to$put$on$lipstick$(and$will$feel$uncomfortable$being$
seen$without$it,$etc.)$
$
2)$each$woman$will$hold$a$different$interpretation$as$to$why$they$chose$to$put$on$
lipstick$in$general,$and$specific$brands$and$styles$of$lip?stick$in$particular.$$
$
3)$theorists$of$the$ritual$will$be$tempted$to$propose$different$meanings$to$the$'goal'$
of$putting$on$lipstick.$$
$
So,$for$3),$e.g.,$it$is$tempting$to$say$that$[hypothesis$A]$women$put$on$lip?stick$to$
"look$pretty".$But$that$is$a$very$fuzzy$concept$with$a$meaning$that$is$both$too$
private$and$too$collective$to$be$presented$without$further$explanation.$One$needs$to$
get$into$how$concepts$of$pretty,$but$also$woman,$and$the$right$kind$of$pretty,$and$
the$right$kind$of$woman$come$into$being,$and$how$they$are$actualized$in$ritual.$
Some$old?school$symbolic$anthropologists,$for$example,$may$propose$that$the$red$
symbolizes$x$or$y$aspect$of$some$idea$of$a$feminine$"essence",$perhaps$related$to$
blood,$or$sexual$organs,$etc.$Functionalists$will$come$up$with$related$categories$for$
other$kinds$of$lipsticks$and$what$the$colour$or$texture$(e.g.,$pink,$gloss,$black)$
symbolizes$and$what$kind$of$groups$(e.g.,$age$group,$fashion$niches,$subcultures$$
goths,$valley$girls,$bourgeois$professionals,$etc.)$the$lip?stick$symbolizes$
membership$and$status$within.$$Marxists$and$different$kinds$of$feminists,$as$another$
example,$will$point$out$that$there$is$a$whole$industry$set$up$to$make$women$
conform$to$particular$styles$of$femininity.$Does$the$industry$exist$to$respond$to$a$
consensus$of$needs$to$be$feminine$in$that$way,$or$does$the$need$exist$because$of$the$
industry?$Who$can$say$for$sure?$Other$kinds$of$skeptics$will$claim$that$ritualized$
lipstick?putting$and$displaying$serve$to$legitimize$one$or$several$models$of$
femininity,$or$to$separate$genders$into$clusters$of$performance.$$
$
All$of$these$are$valid$explanations,$but$only$within$whatever$theoretical$model$
anthropologists$are$interested$in$promoting:$and$the$sky$is$the$limit$in$terms$of$
models$we$might$want$to$present.$And$it$gets$much$more$complicated$at$the$level$of$
individual$agency$and$volition$for$people$who$engage$in$the$ritual.$$Would$most$
women$agree$with$symbolic$and/or$functionalist$explanations?$Probably$not.$As$
such,$we$can't$simply$impose$our$interpretation$on$people$who$hold$a$variety$of$
beliefs$about$what$they$do$and$why$they$do$it.$$$
-
358$Veissire$$$$One$Example$of$Goal$Demotion$in$Ritual$$ $
$
What$is$the$'true'$goal$of$the$ritual$then?$What$'reasons'$for$wearing$makeup$would$
5$different$women$from$one$kind$of$group$(say,$white$middleclass$millennial?
generation$mcgill$students)$give$you?$What$about$300$women$from$different$
demographics?$$You$would$get$a$huge$variety$of$answers,$most$of$them$on$the$'well,$
i$dunno,$because$i$like$it'$theme.$
$
In$the$end,$we$just$can't$ascribe$one$universal$reason$why$women$put$on$make$up.$$
$
But$we$can$note,$however,$that:$
$
4)$$most$women$wear$lipstick$and$makeup$because$other$women$wear$lipstick$and$
makeup.$$
$
$