Publication details
Socio-ekonomické faktory ovplyvňujúce participáciu na extrémnych rituáloch.
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| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Citation | |
| Description | Many individuals use costly rituals to signal adherence to the group, its values, norms, and taboos. Individual motivations notwithstanding, the costliness of performance alone communicates devotion and acceptance of the social and cosmic order. At the same time, certain groups or individuals can use ritual action to challenge the existing order or to improve their social standing in it. Through this, ritual systems and norms that surround them can change in the long-run. Our research on the Mauritian Tamil ritual Kavadi shows that young and low-status men engage in the most extreme and extravagant forms of participation, which is a finding not unique to this island. Lacking other resources, these men are using their bodies by ritually mutilating them to signal their underlying qualities to others and to bargain with gods for their fortune. Importantly, the motivations to participate differ as a result of socio-economic status, resulting in different cultural norms and expectations for proper execution of the ritual by the different sub-groups. |
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