7. Culture + Power. Use three theories of culture to interpret the cartoon shown today.

Transcription

1 Use three theories of culture to interpret the cartoon shown today. Explain Geertz s definition of religion using examples from any two traditions. 7. Culture + Power What is ideology? Explain using examples from today s cartoon and song. 1 2 Today Announcements Field Research Analysis Finish: Culture Start: Power AUSTRALIA Earn 1.0 full-year U of T credit in 3 to 6 weeks! UTM Information Session Wednesday, October 25 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm (Drop-in advising from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm) Council Chambers, Davis Building, Room 3130 Visit us at CENTRAL EUROPE CHINA ECUADOR ENGLAND FRANCE Summer Abroad Info Session Oct. 25, 1-3pm DV3130 (Council Chambers) GEORGIA GERMANY GREECE GRENADA IRELAND ITALY PORTUGAL SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH KOREA SPAIN

2 Martin Luther: 95 Theses Discussion Panel Friday, October 27, 2-3pm in IB120 UTM Film Festival Oct. 25 in CCT Reception 6pm Screening 7pm Historical Studies Society presents 95 Theses 500th Anniversary Discussion Panel Featuring Professors Cowan, Petrakos and Derry October 27th 2 to 3 PM in @HSS.UTM utmhss.weebly. com 5 6 Deadlines Final film analysis: tonight! 3rd online discussion comment: also tonight! Field Research contract: Friday! Field Research Analysis Bb: contract + instructions + rubric Soon: advice + sample paragraphs Attend a religious ritual with your group Best to know as little as possible Contact site ahead of time Take selfie of group at religious site (inside or outside) 7 8

3 Field Research Analysis Attend a religious ritual Best to know as little as possible Not your own religion Not a religion you ve studied or know much about Analyze observations using Nye s text Culture OR power OR gender Final Exam Use three theories of culture to interpret the cartoon shown today. Explain Geertz s definition of religion using examples from any two traditions. What is ideology? Explain using examples from today s cartoon and song Culture: Review Culture! What is culture? Everything! What do we study (when we study culture)? Everything! Religions change over time, culture, etc. Three Christianities; Muslim bride in Bulgaria 11 12

4 Culture Culture / religion is NEVER static: Syncretism (hybridity) = mix of different cultures / religions (e.g., James Clifford) New circumstances/ideas/technology (not necessarily the same as hybridity) Result of mixing is often hard to understand / predict May be very POSITIVE In Praise of Mixed Religion by William Harrison

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7 #MuslimRage NO BEEF PEPPERONI AT PIZZA HUT?! #MuslimRage my dad when Pakistan's cricket team loses #MuslimRage no WiFi in the mosque #MuslimRage Lost your kid Jihad at the airport. Can't yell for him. #MuslimRage Anchored by a strong Jewish identity and driven by a mission to connect Jews around the globe with their heritage through music, professional Jewish a cappella group Six13 are the originators of today s Jewish a cappella sound

8 Syncretism/Hybridity Your field research: which elements seem traditional and which seem Canadian? What might this mean? Examples of possible Canadian cultural elements? Use your judgement, make a reasonable case why something might not be traditional to the religion Indigenous? language? drum blankets natural items on blanket feather plants in pan + bowl location Non-Indigenous? language? clothing coffee cup + water bottles jar on blanket video camera frying pan folding chair 31 32

9 Indigenous? language? drum blankets natural items on blanket feather plants in pan + bowl location Non-Indigenous? language? clothing coffee cup + water bottles jar on blanket video camera frying pan folding chair Descriptive Paragraph Topic sentences: Ceremony included what seemed to be Indigenous elements (artificial items) and non-indigenous elements (natural items) Rest of paragraph: Describe which items fit which category (Ind. or non-ind.) and how they were used in the ceremony Analytical Paragraph Topic sentences: Identify the theory you will analyze the data with (e.g., syncretism/hybridity) Rest of paragraph: Explain theory Use theory to analyze your observations (i.e., what do you think your observations might mean?) 35 Culture Not so useful theories for assignment: Culture is what people do (Hall) Each group has its own culture (Tylor) Religion can also create divisions (Nye) Religion as social glue (Durkheim) 36

10 Culture Possibly useful theories for assignment: Sub-cultures and resistance (Hebdige) Power: popular vs. elite (Williams/Hall) Change/hybridity/syncretism (various) Religion = society (Durkheim) Religion = symbols, factuality, etc. (Geertz) Culture Possibly useful theories for assignment: Sub-cultures and resistance (Hebdige) Power: popular vs. elite (Williams/Hall) Change/hybridity/syncretism (various) Religion = society (Durkheim) Religion = symbols, factuality, etc. (Geertz) 39 40

11 41 42 Clifford Geertz: Religion is a system of symbols, which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long lasting moods and motivations in men [people] by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing those conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic. (Nye p. 47) Man: And Scotty beamed them to the Klingon ship, where they would be no tribble at all. Everyone: All power to the engines

12 Reservoir Dogs (1992) Bhagavad Gita naturalistic anecdote it s the details that sell your story Jesus: And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them. (Mark 16:17-18) 47 48

13 Power Power! 1. General Overview 2. Theories: Concern with social justice; work towards greater equity Marx, Gramsci, Althusser, Foucault Power Power: social, political, economic Power relations exist in all human communities and institutions Including religion! (No special treatment by scholars) Power Assignment: 1. Power relations WITHIN a religion (always apparent) 2. Power relations BETWEEN religion and larger society (sometimes apparent) 51 52

14 Power Power relations are complex Power is not inherently bad Create, sustain power Subvert, resist power People / institutions with power in some contexts may NOT have power in others RLG101H? Power Not so useful theories for assignment: Althusser: interpellation (66-67) Weber: economics (69-70) Power Possibly useful theories for assignment: Marx: religion as ideology (58-60) Gramsci: hegemony and counter-hegemony (60-65) Althusser: repressive and ideological state apparatuses (65-66) Foucault: panopticon (71-73) and power, knowledge, discourse (74-76) 55 Marx Ideology: makes the rule by one group over another appear natural and unquestionable (p. 59) Power as natural / obvious Examples? Markers: e.g., spaces, buildings, clothing, titles, age, gender, etc. Theories of ideology: critique/expose it 56

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