Ohio University Anthropology of Religion & Life Passage Rituals Discussion

This response is in reference to the first pages of the article by Turner, “Liminality and Communitas” in the file below. Provide your response to this prompt by writing 4 paragraphs in doubled-spaced type, which should be no less than 300 words but up to 400 words.

Turner expanded Van Gennep’s idea about the three stages of a rite of passage. Although specific rites of passage vary from society to society, Turner and Van Gennep argued that they all had three stages (as do most rituals). In your paragraph 1, describe these three stages as Turner does in his article. In the next 3 paragraphs, provide your short analysis of three stages of a rite of passage that you have seen, heard about or have taken part in, identifying what according to Turner is characteristic of that stage. If you have no direct experience witnessing one, you can also find some examples in Chapter 6 of Bowie. Many rituals have been identified as a rite of passage even though they may not be viewed that way by the group practicing them, such as high school graduation ceremonies or communion ceremonies.