simulo reviewed Purity and danger by Mary Douglas (Routledge classics)
None
4 stars
Very interesting, classic anthropological writing.
It it might lack a bit coherence between the chapters but the chapters itself are focused.
It feels like in a middle place between structuralism and later approaches.
There is some reflection on Western culture but not much. The application to their own culture can be left as exercise to the (Western or otherwise) reader, there is enough that they might find icky and hurting their 'purity', although they might use other terms and other, explainations why it should be this way.
I assumed to learn more about how groups distinguish themselves from other, similar groups, but there was not much on that topic (Look for Bateson on Schismogenesis if you are interested).
Very interesting, classic anthropological writing.
It it might lack a bit coherence between the chapters but the chapters itself are focused.
It feels like in a middle place between structuralism and later approaches.
There is some reflection on Western culture but not much. The application to their own culture can be left as exercise to the (Western or otherwise) reader, there is enough that they might find icky and hurting their 'purity', although they might use other terms and other, explainations why it should be this way.
I assumed to learn more about how groups distinguish themselves from other, similar groups, but there was not much on that topic (Look for Bateson on Schismogenesis if you are interested).
