Social Contagion theory

[marct]

Hi Goesh,

Maybe it's just Anthro, but I've been at defense where sweetgrass has been burned .

Heady stuff to say the least but in "going from brain neurology to macrosocial levels" don't we for all practical purposes cross into the realms of magic which only ritual enactment itself can explain and justify?

Yup - "been there, done that".

In trying to lay bare the realm of magic, we are hindered from being able to exploit it to full advantage. We ourselves can bring no ju-jus to the process, which may well be required to successfully work with 3rd worlders and tribal peoples.

One of the things that a lot of Anthropologists have done in the past is just that. It doesn't really show up much in the formal literature of the discipline but, get a bunch of us together with a plentiful suppl of our favorite potables, sit back and listen to the stories.

A lot of us have done things, and seen things, that would fry most Westerners brains. We don't talk about it, usually, because it is almost impossible to talk about it with people who haven't experienced similar things - they are just too freaky. And, as an FYI, while I didn't burn sweetgrass at either my MA or PhD defenses, I was wearing a particular ring....

Marc

[marct]

Hi Folks,

I moved a number of the posts in this thread over to a new thread "The Ju Ju of War" (okay, lousy name I know). This was because the discussion had moved quite far from social contagion theory into discussions of religion and society and the role of religion in war.

Marc