Ethnological Approach in Researching The Ritual Gesture

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Pages: 54-82

Abstract:

This report proposes a new approach in solving some problemes by studying gestures in culture. The principle that each human movement, which is laden with meaning, is a “sign” in semiotic sense of this name I use as basis. This type of movement holds key features that distinguish it from other similar gesture-sign. The establishment of these features and their analysis allows, at any particular use of a gesture, precise to determine its actual role and importance (function and semantics) in the text of the relevant ritual, custom, holiday, culture. These basic characteristics, that are inherent to any ritualized gesture, form the so called by me “system of dimensions of ritual gesture.” The system includes the following five dimensions: physical form of gesture, environment, relationship between addresser and addressee, function and semantics. The paper examines the content and the scope of each of these dimensions. The result of using the method makes it possible to determine the exact purpose and social importance of each researched ritualized action, which involves the studied gesture.

Keywords:

ritualized gesture, method, a system of dimensions of ritual gesture, physical form, environment, relationship between addresser and addressee, function, semantics, mechanism of tradition, ethnic character of culture

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