Abstract
Opening ParagraphIn the north of Mafia Island, the rites surrounding the circumcision of boys and the first menstruation of girls are no longer, if indeed they ever were, universally performed. This article attempts to explain this situation, and in so doing, draws on some of Turner's work on symbolism. In particular, his distinction between different levels of meaning expressed by symbols—the exegetical, the operational and the positional (1962)—is followed in a discussion of the political implications of performance or rejection of the rites.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Subject
Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous),Anthropology,Geography, Planning and Development
Reference11 articles.
1. The Politics of Ritual Syncretism;Parkin;Africa,1970
2. Turner V. 1962. ‘Ndembu Circumcision Ritual’ in Gluckman 1962.
Cited by
33 articles.
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