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Study Guide: Anthropology of Religion

To study for the midterm, please consider or think about what is below. You may get together during this Thursday’s class if you want to study together.

CH 1- The Anthropological Study of Religion

· Functions of Religion

· The supernatural: What does it mean?

· Social relations – b/w beings and forces and humans

· What is studying religion anthropologically mean? (how does anthropology approach religion?)

· What distinguishes religious rituals from other rituals?

· Why does Harris say people have become religious?

· What is animism?

· Religion in different types of societies (band-and-village societies versus chiefdoms versus states and empires, pages 27 and 28).

· Emic versus etic

· The tie between secular and religious activities in preliterate societies

· Agriculture as an expression of man’s relatedness to the universe.

CH 2- Myth, Symbolism, and Worldview

· What is symbolism?

· What is mana?

· Who are the serpent handlers? (Where are they from? What do they do? What do they believe? What is their relationship with God? How do they demonstrate their relationship with God? What are their myths? What is their economic/social status? What is a ‘true believer’?)

CH 3- Ritual

· What is ritual?

· What is a rite of passage?

· What are some of the characteristics of ritual?

· What are the five major categories of ritual?

· How can certain rituals ‘heal’ a person or group of people?

· Secular versus sacred rituals

· Be able to name one specific ritual (not a category, but an example)

· Know the henna ritual in Morroco, its meaning, how it ‘purifies,’ how it is tied to taboo, etc.

CH 4- Shamans, Priests, and Prophets

· What is a shaman? What are some of the problems shamans face? How and why do shamans enter trances? How/why do shamans cure? Where do they get their power?

· What is a sorcerer?

· Be familiar with part-time versus full-time specialists

Ch 5 – Altered States of Consciousness and the Religious Use of Drugs, Part 1

· What is an altered state of consciousness?

· What characteristics typify trance? What is the relationship between trance, spirit, and possession and shamanism?

· How does a rave function in terms of spiritual healing?

· How do ravers create a sense of unity and community?