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Originally published in 1966, Purity and Danger, by Mary Douglas, is a treatise on the concepts of purity and uncleanness in various societies and cultures. It is widely considered a classic in the field of cultural anthropology.
May 18, 2017 · Mary Douglas's "Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo" explores the cultural notion of dirt and its symbolic meanings. She follows Emile Durkheim in defining dirt as that which is out of its place (ketchup in fine in the bottle or on the plate, but not on my shirt).
Purity and Danger is a seminal work in the field of anthropology, written by renowned British anthropologist Mary Douglas. The book was first published in 1966 and has since become a classic in the field, influencing generations of scholars and students alike.
Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo is a 1966 book by the anthropologist and cultural theorist Mary Douglas. It is her best known work. In 1991 the Times Literary Supplement listed it as one of the hundred most influential non-fiction books published since 1945.
- Mary Douglas
- 1966
- Genres
- What’s So Dirty About Dirt?
- Chewing The Cud
- Rethinking What’s Primitive and Modern
- Ambiguity: When Something Is Both Sacred and Unclean
- Witches and Sorcerers: When Someone Doesn’T Fit The Mold
- Summary
- About The Author
- Table of Contents
Religion, Spirituality, Society, Culture, Anthropology, Philosophy, Sociology, Theory, Academic, Psychology, History, Social Science, Customs and Traditions Social Sciences, General Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology ‘Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo’ is Mary Douglas’s influential exploration of how different socie...
Think back to your early childhood. Were you ever given any warnings of what to do to avoid something bad happening? Perhaps you were told such micro-taboos. For example, if you didn’t eat enough spinach or broccoli, you wouldn’t grow big and strong. Or maybe you were told that some catastrophe would happen, however fantastical and unlikely, if you...
At this point, we’re about to dive into an example that has perhaps received the most critical attention from this book. But please keep in mind that there’s a caveat, one that you’ll hear about at the end of this section. Get ready! The example of the hour is… pigs. They live on farms, they make funny noises – you know all about them. But what’s a...
Before we move on, a quick note on terminology: Douglas uses the words “modern” and “primitive.” These are the same words that earlier anthropologists and religious scholars, especially throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, had used to describe what they called more and less “advanced” cultures and belief systems. These earlier voices tend ...
In some cultures, the lines between uncleanness and sacredness become obscured, or polluted. Take the dietary restrictions of the Lele people of the Kasaï-Occidental, a former province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. What the Lele should and shouldn’t eat is, for the most part, very clearly laid out. Only men can eat certain parts of anima...
Now, not all cultures worship cases of ambiguity. Certain humans exist outside the typical patterns of society. They are in what Douglas calls a marginal state. Basically, the people of their community cannot explain whether these marginal-state people belong or not, whether they are unclean or pure. That makes them seem dangerous. Depending on the...
Dirt is matter out of place. By deciding what is unclean and what is pure or sacred, societies put the world into categories. It’s a way of understanding and interpreting experience according to these patterns, as well as establishing and maintaining order in a community. All cultures do this differently. Their rules and rituals help decide what be...
Mary Douglaswas one of the most distinguished anthropologists of modern times. Natural Symbols, another of her major works, is also available in Routledge Classics.
Introduction Chapter 1 Ritual Uncleanness Chapter 2 Secular Defilement Chapter 3 The Abominations of Leviticus Chapter 4 Magic and Miracle Chapter 5 Primitive Worlds Chapter 6 Powers and Dangers Chapter 7 External Boundaries Chapter 8 Internal Lines Chapter 9 The System at War with Itself Chapter 10 The System Shattered and Renewed
Jan 5, 2021 · Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo is a classic book by British anthropologist Mary Douglas, and is considered one of the most important works in anthropological literature in the 20th century. For a short version see Purity and Danger - short summary.
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What does dirt mean in Mary Douglas's 'purity & danger'?
In her 1966 classic, Purity and Danger, author Mary Douglas questions the idea that objects or actions are unclean regardless of context. She proposes the opposite. By putting experiences into categories, such as dirty and pure, cultures can create order from an otherwise chaotic experience.
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