essay
Psychoanalysis and ceremony
interpretation of ritual: essays in honour of a. i. richards • [London] • Published In 1972 • Pages: 205-237
By: Bott, Elizabeth.
Abstract
In this study, Bott uses ideas from both anthropology and psychoanalysis (her training is in both fields) to attempt to understand the meaning of the kava ceremony in Tongan culture. She describes the ceremony in detail, including seating arrangements, participants, and the ritual involved. She then discusses and interprets the mythological background for the ceremony. One of the most valuable parts of her analysis is her treatment of Tongan social relations, and how status based on titles, kinship, and political power are interrelated and how the kava ceremony serves to 'clarify social principles and roles' and resolve some of the problems generated by the stratified social system of Tonga.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2006
- Region
- Oceania
- Sub Region
- Polynesia
- Document Type
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator Types
- Ethnologist
- Psychoanalyst
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Martin Malone; 1978
- Field Date
- no date
- Coverage Date
- ca.1800-ca.1960s
- Coverage Place
- Tonga
- Notes
- Elizabeth Bott
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-237)
- LCCN
- 72179016
- LCSH
- Tongans