Rites and Passages Pt 1: Theory

If you watched our video on Childhood and Socialization, you know that the transition out of childhood into adulthood is significant to many, if not all, societies around the world; and that many societies often hold a ritual or ceremony to mark this transition. 

Such rituals are called rites of passage, and they aren’t just held for coming of age. Rites of passage mark a number of stages in the human life cycle. And while what happens in the rite of passage depends on particular life changes being celebrated and cultural values, some anthropologists think there is a fundamental structure underlying ALL rites of passage that can be considered universal.

Part 1 of this video sequence, Rites of Passage Theory, introduces rites of passage and anthropological ideas about their structure and purpose in society.

Part 2: Coming of Age surveys different coming of age rituals, where young people around the world can train for and demonstrate their mastery of skills required for adulthood, such as religious and gendered knowledge, bravery and endurance.

Part 3: Funeral Rites, covers the last rite of passage a human will go through– death.

Part 4, Death Ritual: Continuity and Change goes even deeper into this most mysterious transition, raising pressing questions about how rites of passage around death are changing in response to societal and environmental? conditions today. 

Watch the full episode:

Resources:

The Rites of Passage, 2nd Edition, by Arnold Van Gennep. 

The classic work with a new introduction by anthropologist and historian David I. Kertzer.

The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure, by Victor Turner.

Herdt G. (1987). The Sambia: Ritual and Gender in New Guinea Chapter 1,2,4 New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.