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CASE STUDYResearch Project Topic: Describe and analyse a ritual in which you have participated using van Gennep and/or Turner’s ritual model.   2,500 words (excluding references). Choose a religious, spiritual, or secular ritual that you have an opportunity to attend as a participant-observer during this course. For example: Mass or Holy Communion, Muslim Friday prayers, a modern Pagan ritual such as Spring Equinox, another religious or spiritual ceremony, wedding or commitment ceremony, baby shower or bridal shower, funeral, tangi, unveiling, christening or baby blessing, stag or hen party, 21st birthday, another major birthday celebration, engagement party, graduation, important sporting event or award ceremony, or some other ritual. The field is wide! If you’re not sure whether your choice of ritual is appropriate, please email Dr Whitehead to ask. It’s important to do some reading about the ritual before you do the next stage. If you haven’t already, you should also watch the introductory videos for weeks 3 and 4 in particular (about symbols and ritual) and read the corresponding chapters in the textbook. Observe the ritual closely and make detailed field-notesabout it. If it is not appropriate to make notes at the time (perhaps because you are participating fully), write up the notes as soon after the event as you can. Use these notes to help you write your essay. Please don’t ask the tutor if you can write about a ritual you witnessed prior to this course. Doing the field observation is part of the exercise. Try to look at it with an anthropologist’s eyes and with the analytical tools and theories

being learned, i.e. the ritual structures of Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner. READ and UNDERSTAND these ritual theories and their three part process BEFORE you observe your ritual. Write an essay of approximately 2,500 words(excluding references) describing and analyzing the ritual using the theories of van Gennep and Turner (this material is in Week 4 of your Stream site – some of it is in the secondary sources of Fiona Bowie and Douglas Davies, which is fine to use, but you can check out ‘The Rites of Passage’ by van Gennep from Massey’s library if you want to read the whole thing). Describe the setting, the reason for the ritual, who was there, what happened.Describe the structure of the ritual you observed, the order of what happened.Identify and discuss the various stages (pre-liminal, liminal, post-liminal). Did you observe communitas? Did you observe ‘liminality’?Discuss the symbols associated with the ritual and their meanings and functions in this particular ritual.Discuss why this ritual was important for those who participated. Perhaps you talked informally with some of them?What did it mean for them? The meanings may be diverse.What is the broader social, cultural and/or religious significance of the ritual? What does it tell us about this group of people and culture they share?Remember to engage with the ritual scholars and theories that we discuss in class. You must engage with either/and the ideas of Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner. You can find descriptions of their theories in your text, as well as in the resources under ‘Assessment, Assignment Resources & Submission’ on our Stream site.