RL E: Anthropology and Ethnography: The Rites of Passage (Routledge Library Editions: Anthropology and Ethnography) [Hardcover]

Arnold van Gennep (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0415330238 | ISBN-13: 978-0415330237 | Edition: Reprint

Van Gennep was the first observer of human behaviour to note that the ritual ceremonies that accompany the landmarks of human life differ only in detail from one culture to another, and that they are in essence universal.
Originally published in English in 1960. This edition reprints the paperback edition of 1977.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Van Gennep achieved in this book an enviable reputation by drawing attention to the widespread distribution of a common symbolic structure in transition rites pregnancy, birth, puberty, marriage and death.' - The Times Literary Supplement

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; Reprint edition (April 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415330238
• ISBN-13: 978-0415330237
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,681,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book worth reading, October 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rites of Passage (Paperback)

This book is worth reading. As an early work (published in 1908), it has influenced many Anthropologists. Amazingly, it was not translated into English from French until 1960, so students (and others) who wished to read it had to be either fluent in French or willing to translate it sentence by sentence.

Although many of its concepts are considered elementary by the unknowing today, it was a revolutionary look at cross-cultural phenomenon, namely the rites surrounding territories, pregnancy/childbirth, childhood, initiation, bethrothal/marriage and funerals.

It is a great basis for a complete understanding of the history of Anthropology.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Landmark Anthropology Text, March 22, 2009

By 

Mike (NYC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Rites of Passage (Paperback)

This is one of the most interesting, well-researched, and innovative books I've ever read. Van Gennep provides an entire philo-anthropological system for understanding ritual and the rites of passage. A truly powerful piece of scholarship that establishes a framework based on inductive first-hand research, that compares and contrasts itself to other texts, and that has relevance to life.

This is the Anthropological equivalent to Aristotle's Poetics. It is dense, it is well-reasoned, and it justifies its categorizations. Not an easy read, but extraordinarily worthwhile. Must read for people interested in philosophy, myth, psychology, anthropology, cultural studies, theater, and literature.

5.0 out of 5 stars Important insight into universal rituals, December 29, 2011

By 

James Maslach - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rites of Passage (Paperback)

I am very disappointed to find this work out of print. This is one of the most powerful and important books on societal rituals that were once universal. I studied Folklore and Mythology long ago, and this is the first book that I recommend to anyone interested. Rituals long ago were the glue that held a society together and ameliorated conflict. Our rituals of today are pale imitations, without much power or effectiveness. We lack a true initiation ritual which was once an indispensable element of every culture.

Van Gennep delineates a concise and intuitive discussion of the elements of rites of passage, and indicates the societal need for such ritual. Understanding these principles enhances further readings in anthropological studies of primitive cultures. Moreover it provokes thought and theories about current culture and society.

I cannot recommend this work highly enough.