Natural symbols
Subtitle: explorations in cosmology
By: Mary Douglas ; with a new introduction.
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 1996
Place of publication: London; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 183
Subjects: Ethnology -- Religious aspects; Religion and sociology
Description: There are no such things as natural symbols. Every culture naturalises a certain view of the human body to make it carry social meanings. This work focuses on how the selections from blood, bones, breath or excrement, are made. Body symbolism is always in service to social intentions, and the body cannot be endowed with universal meanings.

In this now classic work Mary Douglas shows how certain forms of social life bring forth regularly the same varieties of symbolic expression. Hierarchy treats the body as a hierarchy; sect treats it as a closed system; individualism treats it as pervasive energy. Political movements as well as religions have their rituals, medicine, ethics, educational theory, aesthetics, a huge range of judgements fall into line behind the standard cultural bias.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [171]-176) and index.
Originally published: 2nd ed. London : Barrie and Jenkins, 1973.