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Att se och tänka med ritual: kontrakterande ritualer i de isländska släktsagorna

Habbe, Peter LU (2006) In Vägar till Midgård
Abstract
To make it possible to classify an action as a ritual act we need to know exactly what constitutes it. In this thesis I try, with the aid from literature of the field called ritual studies and the sagas of Icelanders, to sort out what these constituent elements best should consist of if we want to use the term ritual as an analytical tool in the production of knowledge with scientific criteria. Rituals have a transformative capacity to change the social status of people or objects. Perhaps the most obvious example of the transformative quality of a ritual is the circumcision of boys.



In the thesis I will proceed from the sagas of Icelanders, and especially Njáls saga, to discuss the possibility of sorting out ritual... (More)
To make it possible to classify an action as a ritual act we need to know exactly what constitutes it. In this thesis I try, with the aid from literature of the field called ritual studies and the sagas of Icelanders, to sort out what these constituent elements best should consist of if we want to use the term ritual as an analytical tool in the production of knowledge with scientific criteria. Rituals have a transformative capacity to change the social status of people or objects. Perhaps the most obvious example of the transformative quality of a ritual is the circumcision of boys.



In the thesis I will proceed from the sagas of Icelanders, and especially Njáls saga, to discuss the possibility of sorting out ritual actions that establish a social contract. Three rituals of contracts are in focus, the oath, the handshake and giving gifts. The ritual acts in the sagas of Icelanders established a social contract between people with a moral and a political duty to fulfil. When discussing the sagas of Icelanders I will also show how rituals, alliances, contracts, places, and important social values interact in an intricate way in the society of the saga.



When focusing on rituals in social sciences, one needs to know what a ritual is, and hopefully this thesis will be a small contribution to that purpose. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

I avhandlingen utvecklas en begreppsapparat som syftar till att utvidga vetenskapens möjligheter att studera människors formaliserade praktik i såväl religiösa som profana sammanhang. Begreppet ritual blir en term att se och tänka med. Författaren applicerar sin begreppsapparat på de medeltida isländska släktsagorna där skapandet av allianser mellan personer är ett viktigt tema, och att till exempel svära eder, ge gåvor och bekräfta överenskommelser med handslag har en central roll.
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author
supervisor
opponent
  • Dr phil Schødt, Jens Peter, Aarhus universitet
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Non-Christian religions, Humaniora, Humanities, Social Contracts, Sagas of Icelanders, Njáls saga, History of Religions, Ritual Studies, Världsreligioner (ej kristendom)
in
Vägar till Midgård
pages
277 pages
publisher
General History and Anthropology of Religions
defense location
Edens hörsal, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, Paradisgatan 5 H, Lund
defense date
2006-01-28 10:15:00
ISSN
1650-5905
ISBN
91-89116-79-8
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: General History and Anthropology of Religions (015017030)
id
c6d7bf16-2cc2-4ba6-9032-e22f8dea5f83 (old id 24353)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:58:56
date last changed
2019-05-24 08:18:29
@phdthesis{c6d7bf16-2cc2-4ba6-9032-e22f8dea5f83,
  abstract     = {{To make it possible to classify an action as a ritual act we need to know exactly what constitutes it. In this thesis I try, with the aid from literature of the field called ritual studies and the sagas of Icelanders, to sort out what these constituent elements best should consist of if we want to use the term ritual as an analytical tool in the production of knowledge with scientific criteria. Rituals have a transformative capacity to change the social status of people or objects. Perhaps the most obvious example of the transformative quality of a ritual is the circumcision of boys.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
In the thesis I will proceed from the sagas of Icelanders, and especially Njáls saga, to discuss the possibility of sorting out ritual actions that establish a social contract. Three rituals of contracts are in focus, the oath, the handshake and giving gifts. The ritual acts in the sagas of Icelanders established a social contract between people with a moral and a political duty to fulfil. When discussing the sagas of Icelanders I will also show how rituals, alliances, contracts, places, and important social values interact in an intricate way in the society of the saga.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
When focusing on rituals in social sciences, one needs to know what a ritual is, and hopefully this thesis will be a small contribution to that purpose.}},
  author       = {{Habbe, Peter}},
  isbn         = {{91-89116-79-8}},
  issn         = {{1650-5905}},
  keywords     = {{Non-Christian religions; Humaniora; Humanities; Social Contracts; Sagas of Icelanders; Njáls saga; History of Religions; Ritual Studies; Världsreligioner (ej kristendom)}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  publisher    = {{General History and Anthropology of Religions}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Vägar till Midgård}},
  title        = {{Att se och tänka med ritual: kontrakterande ritualer i de isländska släktsagorna}},
  year         = {{2006}},
}