Turner’s Theory of Ritual in Cultural Performance

Turner’s theory of ritual in cultural performance begins with his investigation of ritual within African villages and culminates with the application of ritual to modern day cultural performances. The term ritual is replaced by the more inclusive term social drama which encompasses more varied forms of cultural expression.

By investigating the social infrastructure of primitive societies and the representations of these societies through cultural performances, such as ritual, Turner concludes that “through the performance process itself…the depth of sociocultural life is drawn out” for “ritual is a manifestation of life itself”. (13) Within primitive African societies social dramas begin with a “social breech”, an expression of a societal antagonism made public. When the breech is not dealt with immediately this escalates into crisis. To resolve this crisis redressive actions are taken by the village through various channels such as judicial process, exorcism, sacrifice or ritual. The conclusion of this social drama, or the “last act”, is the resolution which can be either the correction of the crisis, or the agreement not to agree. In which case factions leave the main body to create their own social entity.

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Turner draws parallels between primitive and modern social dramas. Contemporary social dramas arise with crises ranging from war and revolution, to gender and generational differences. Like its primitive counterpart, modern social dramas cut across all *subcutaneous levels of social structure”(10) and form alliances based on coalitions of ideology. But, unlike primitive cultures, modern society’s new symbols and mastery of technology enable them to cope better with crisis. And redressive action is exclusive of either political or religious influence. Therefore modern social drama calls out societies weaknesses, makes leaders accountable, and offers solutions. And like ritual and primitive social drama, is a “means for the intercultural transmission of painfully
achieved modalities of experience”.(18)

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