• How can Freud’s theory of ritual be used to interpret “hakuna matata”?

• What is a possible meaning of the “hakuna matata” ritual in relation to power? How is this meaning affected by a change in social context?

• How might the meaning of a text affected by who is reading it?

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• RLG101H Facilitated Study Group

➡ Feb. 12 @ 3pm

➡ IB 280

➡ Leader: Andrew O’Brien

➡ Eligible for course participation marks

3

FSG

• Contract available on Quercus

• Contract due February 12➡ Find 1 or 2 partners!

➡ Pick a place to visit!

➡ Can change your minds later!

4

Field Research

Film Paragraph

• Congratulations on completing this!

• If you did not complete it:

➡ Please do it soon!

➡ Ask for help if you need it

5

u Walk-in Clinic on campus

u Davis Building 1st floor

u Open to all UofT students

u Doctors

u Nurses u Counselors

u Nutritionist u Flu Shots

u Medications and Vaccination

• Due February 28

➡ Instructions + theories on Quercus soon!

• 4 paragraphs in total:

1. Belief (revised!)

2. Ritual

3. Text

4. Reflection

Film Analysis

7

Anonymous Feedback

• Guys at the back

➡ Jokes about rape and sexual assault

8

Sexual Assault

• Statistics:

➡ 39% of women sexually assaulted

➡ 1 in 5 women in university have been sexually assaulted

➡ 1 in 14 men in university have been sexually assaulted

➡ 1 in 2 LGTBQ+ students in university have been sexually assaulted

9

Sexual Assault

• UofT policies + regulations:

➡ Code of Student Conduct

➡ Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment

➡ Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Excellence

10

UofT Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Excellence

“At the University of Toronto, we strive to be an equitable and inclusive community, rich

with diversity, protecting the human rights of all persons, and based upon understanding

and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of every person.”

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UofT Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Excellence

“Our support for equity is grounded in an institution-wide commitment to achieving a working, teaching, and learning environment

that is free of discrimination and harassment as defined in the Ontario Human Rights Code.”

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RLG101H Manifesto

“One of our most important collective responsibilities is to create a space that is

inclusive and welcomes discussion. Discrimination, harassment, and hate speech

will not be tolerated.”

13 14

Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre

Davis Building

Room 3094G

(416) 978-2266

thesvpcentre@utoronto.ca

5. Ritual + “Texts”

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Today

• Finish: Ritual!

➡ Theories

• “Texts”:

1. Theories of texts2. What do texts mean? 3. Which texts do we study?4. Why study texts?

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Ritual

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Ritual

1. What is ritual?

2. Ritual studies

3. Ritual theories

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What is Ritual?

• Ritual = stuff people DO (i.e., actions)

➡ But which stuff??

➡ Many definitions!

• Ritual as meaningful action

➡ Meaning is relational

➡ Meaning depends on the people and the context

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Ritual Studies1. Ritual studies showed that actions were

important in religion

➡ Religion was not only about belief

2. Shift in focus within ritual studies

➡ From “Is this action a ritual?” to “What does this action mean?”

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Ritual Theories

• Emile Durkheim (society)

• Sigmund Freud (neurosis)

• Harvey Whitehouse (memory)

• Malory Nye (power)

• Arnold van Gennep (rites of passage)

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Ritual Theories

• Many theories focus on the FUNCTION of ritual (not “content”)

➡ Not about (symbolic) meaning (e.g., bread = body of Christ)

➡ About the effect of the action(s) on participants

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Emile Durkheim

• Ritual binds people together (p. 141-2)

➡ Ritual does not just express relationships: “the performance of rituals actually creates those relationships”

➡ Regular attendance at religious site (church, mosque, synagogue, temple, etc.)

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Hakuna Matata

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Sigmund Freud

• Ritual = neurosis (p. 143)

➡ Repetition brings comfort; avoids real problem(s)

➡ Might be true sometimes (not always): but need to know context

➡ Examples?

➡ Lion King?

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Hakuna Matata

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Harvey Whitehouse

• Rituals and memory (p. 143-4)

1. “Imagistic” mode: high intensity (dramatic and/or traumatic)

❖ E.g., wedding, funeral, assault

2. “Doctrinal” mode: mundane repetition (routine)

❖ E.g., daily prayer, national anthem

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Imagistic

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Doctrinal

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Imagistic

35

Doctrinal Imagistic

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Doctrinal

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Doctrinal

Power

• Rituals involve power relations (p. 149)

➡ Can express power or challenge power

➡ (Note: this is not Nye’s theory)

➡ Examples?

➡ Royal wedding, Indigenous rites of passage

➡ NFL: taking a knee

➡ Lion King? 39 40

Power

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Power

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Power

Power

• The same ritual can mean different things

➡ Need to know contexts

➡ Bloch: social/historical contexts (p. 149)

➡ Bell: individual contexts (p. 150)

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Hakuna Matata

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Ritual Studies: Example

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• What is the meaning of this action?

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• What is the meaning of this action?

Possible answers:

• Form relationships (=Durkheim)

• Avoid difficulties (=Freud)

• Remember (=Whitehouse)

• Express power (=Nye)

• Examples?

• Indigenous rites of passage:

➡ Pondo healers

➡ Anishinaubae vision quest

➡ Wiradjuri boys

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Rites of Passage

• Rituals and transformation

➡ Space, time, social relations, etc.

➡ Boundaries

➡ Rites of passage

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Arnold van Gennep

1. Separation➡ Death of old self; leave home

2. Liminality ➡ “Threshold”; anti-structure

3. Incorporation

➡ Birth of new self; go home (new/old); physical change?

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Arnold van GennepRite of passage = literal / symbolic journey

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Pondo Rite of Passage

(liminal stage)

• Limin = “threshold”

➡ Doorway, path, tunnel, etc.

• Liminal stage (from Nye, p. 147):

➡ Inversion of “normal” life

➡ Different dress/place/behaviour

➡ Bizarre, upside-down

➡ Anti-structure, opposite of normal

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Rite of Passage

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Rite of Passage

Time

InitialStatus

NewStatus

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Rite of Passage

Time

Sepa

ratio

n

InitialStatus

NewStatus

Inco

rpor

atio

n

LIMINALSTAGE

Threshold

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Rite of Passage: Simba

Time

Sepa

ratio

n

InitialStatus

NewStatus

Inco

rpor

atio

n

LIMINALSTAGE

Threshold

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Rite of Passage: Simba

Time

M d

ies,

S ch

ased

aw

ay

Cub King

S re

turn

s to

Pri

de L

ands

Timon + Pumbaa

Irresponsible + Immature

Hakuna MatataAccepts

Responsibility

Separation

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Symbolic Death

Liminality

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Incorporation

60

61 62

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“Texts!”

65

Author – Text – Reader

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Film Analysis

• Apply theories to “texts” WITHIN the film

➡ “Text” = anything in the film that is spoken, sung, written, named, signed, etc.

➡ “Author” = character who writes or speaks

➡ “Reader” = character who reads or listens

• Example: “Hakuna Matata” as text

➡ Who is the author? Who is the reader?

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• Do NOT do the following:

➡ “Text” = screenplay of the film

➡ “Author” = writer of the screenplay

➡ “Reader” = viewer of the film

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Film Analysis

“Texts”

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1. Theories of texts

2. What do texts mean?

3. Which texts do we study?

4. Why study texts?

1. Theories of texts

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• Authorship (p. 169–71): Michel Foucault + Roland Barthes

• Readers (p. 176–78):Wolfgang Iser + Stanley Fish

• Gender (p. 178): Judith Fetterley + Julia Leslie

• Language + interpretation (p. 158–59): Jacques Derrida

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Authorship

• Two issues re: meaning of a text:

1. Barthes: “Death” of the author (=author’s intent is NOT important in determining the meaning[s] of a text)

2. Foucault: author’s identity IS important in determining the meaning(s) of a text (status, expertise, gender, etc.)

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“You know this is your master, eh?

Do you feel the lash?”

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Author’s Intent is NOT Important?Song

• “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift (2014)

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“Shake It Off”I stay out too late

Got nothing in my brainThat’s what people say, mmm-mmm That’s what people say, mmm-mmm

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, playAnd the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate

Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shakeI shake it off, I shake it off

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“Shake It Off”I stay out too late

Got nothing in my brainThat’s what people say, mmm-mmmThat’s what people say, mmm-mmm

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, playAnd the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate

Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shakeI shake it off, I shake it off

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author’s identity IS important

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Author’s Identity IS Important Hakuna Matata

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One True King

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