Essay on: How does Mary Douglas Explain Body Symbolism ?
Mary Douglas is concerned with the anomalies which imply loss of purity and hence a source of danger. In her study, Natural Symbols (1970), she holds that Society as an entity is expressed by Ritual symbolism. She focuses on finding out structural correlations between symbolic patterns and social experiences.
Bodily processes are attributed meanings with a view to defend and preserve the established social order. Says Douglas, “Body is a symbolic medium which is used to express particular pattern of social relations”. According to Douglas, experienced social relations are structured in two ways: group and the grid.
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(i) Group is a bounded social unit
(ii) The grid indicates a person-to-person relationship on an ego-centered basis.
(1) Strong Groups:
(i) In societies where group is strong the following features are observed: (a) the human body is guarded against attack from outside, (b) The inside/outside definitions are clear cut.
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(1) Social experience emphasizes external boundaries of the body, ignoring the internal structure of the body.
(ii) The social Philosophy is that the internal structure can remain undifferentiated.
(iii) It is believed that injustice within the Society can be removed by eliminating the internal traitors who ally with the outside enemies. For example Witch- fearing cosmology.
(iv) The body symbolism values the boundaries, discourages mixtures and treats sex with caution.
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(v) The social experience tends towards austerity, interest in purification, and disregard for bodily function like ingestion.
(vi) The Society celebrates purity of spirit. It holds that flesh could be corrupted.
(2) Strong Grids:
In societies where grid is strong the following features are observed:
(i) A bounded human body cannot be used for expression of social concerns, because the individuals do not feel bound and committed to a social group.
(ii) Individuals is constrained by rules not by group.
(iii) There is absence of any attempt to secularise mind and matter, They are neither revered not despised.
People remain secular in outlook.