Douglas: Symbols & Society

Mary Douglas's "Abominations of Leviticus" argues that different cultures create unique symbolic orders. These symbolic orders divide up the world into different categories. No symbolic order is perfect; certain objects or things transgress defy these orders. Such objects are liable to be thought of as disgusting and filthy.
So this, according to Douglas is how the Ancient Jews thought: "Cows, sheep, and goats have a two-part digestion process (rumination) and they had a two part hoof. That is what a proper edible animal has. Pigs have two part hoof but only one part digestion process--disgusting!
About me:
I'm Nick Herriman. This presentation is part of subject, Symbols and Society, an introduction to the way anthropologists think about symbols.

[@sadiashanta611]

I was reading 'Visions of Culture' and became curious about Douglas. Then searched her name and found this lecture. It is very helpful. Keep this good works❤️

[@melissascottdavies]

Have an Anthropology exam next week! This will help! Thankyou.

[@NicholasHerriman]

Thanks Mill. Glad to be of assistance.

[@dwanehurley3321]

Have a sociology exam and this was a big help. Thank you for uploading!

[@NicholasHerriman]

Thanks Dwane. I hope you passed and that you stick with sociology!

[@GaliSHEN]

Thanks for sharing!
btw, the golden dome in Jerusalem is called the Dome of the Rock, while Al-Aqsa Mosque is the one quite near with a smaller gray dome. They are all located on the so-called Temple Mount today. Also, the Western Wall is not a remnant of the Temple which was destroyed by the Romans. One reason for it being the holy place of Jewish worship is that the Wall is believed to be the closest (that a Jew could reach today) to where the Holy of Holies was located.

[@NicholasHerriman]

Thank you Gail SJY for clarifying that. It's great to have viewers contribute like this! :)

[@9cins]

Great video`! Glad i found this for my exam. But nope, we don't eat cockroaches in Thailand.

[@NicholasHerriman]

Thanks for the support. My mistake about the cockroaches; sorry! But isn't Thai street food famous (in English-speaking countries at least) for fried scorpions, frogs, worms etc.? Some of these insects & reptiles would be considered 'transgressive' of categories in English-speaking countries.
I probably mentioned that I love a delicious wasp larvae 'curry' which was made where I did fieldwork.

[@rogersyversen3633]

psychologists will point out that people have different disgust sensibilities

[@NicholasHerriman]

Good point Roger Syversen. Cultural anthropology can purport to analyze only certain aspects of human life. With regard to filth, we find that something like pork is abominably disgusting in one culture yet absolutely, mouth-wateringly delicious in another. Anthropologists therefore think that there is a cultural aspect for what is considered filthy. This lecture covers some attempts to explain that cultural aspect. If we turn to individual people and their 'idiosyncratic' sense of what is disgusting, I think psychological theories might do a better job of explaining. Of course there is an overlap between psychological and anthropological theories, which I cover in this blog:
anthropologyofsymbols.blogspot.com/2017/08/3-symbolising-unconscious-thought-freud.html