Discourse and the construction of society : comparative studies of myth, ritual, and classification

Bibliographic Information

Discourse and the construction of society : comparative studies of myth, ritual, and classification

Bruce Lincoln

Oxford University Press, 1992, c1989

  • : pbk

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Note

Chapters originally written in Italian and English 1980-1984

Bibliography: p. 205-217

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

In this bold theoretical work, Bruce Lincoln explores the ways in which myth, ritual, and classification hold human societies together--and how, in times of crisis, they can be used to take a society apart and reconstruct it. Without overlooking the role of coercive force in the maintenance (or overthrow) of social structures, Lincoln argues his thesis with compelling illustrations drawn from such diverse areas as Platonic philosophy, the Upanishads of India, ancient Celtic banquets, professional wrestling, and the Spanish Civil War. This wide-ranging interdisciplinary study--which draws on works in history, semiotics, anthropology, sociology, classics, and indology--offers challenging new insights into the complex dynamics of social cohesion and change.

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