After the wave of protests over the war within the Gaza Strip, several US universities have decided to achieve this Cancel or shorten opening ceremonies. More are is anticipated to follow.
These institutions announce their decision cited safety concerns within the context of the unrest and divisions that followed the protests. However, this will only make a foul situation worse.
As an anthropologist, the examines the human need for ritualsI even have spent twenty years examining the role of collective ceremonies in creating meaning and belonging. I've also seen the flip side of this: depriving people of meaningful rituals can result in disillusionment and social withdrawal.
Rites of passage
From the cradle to the grave, crucial moments of our lives are ritualized. From personal milestones like birthdays and weddings to societal changes just like the transfer of power to the federal government, all major transitions are surrounded by ceremony. The incontrovertible fact that these rituals occur in all human societies without exception underlines their importance.
The anthropologist Arnold van Gennep called these ceremonies “initiation rites.” He found that every one cultures have an analogous structure and produce similar results.
Rites of passage typically involve three phases. First, participants are physically or symbolically separated from their previous lifestyle and move toward a brand new status and identity. For example, civilians abandon their usual routines and move away from their family and friends to affix the military. Students do the identical thing once they leave campus life behind to enter the workforce.
The second phase is the boundary period between phases. It is characterised by ambiguity and uncertainty because the initiates leave their former status behind but have yet to assume their recent role. During this time, a cadet may feel like neither a civilian nor a soldier; a bride who’s neither single nor married; and candidates neither students nor graduates.
In the third and final phase, the transition is complete and the initiate is reintegrated into society with a brand new status. Just as military training turns civilians into soldiers, training turns trainees into qualified professionals.
Rituals can shape social reality
Rites of passage not only have fun the transition to a brand new state – they actively create this recent state within the eyes of society.
Research shows that folks unconsciously perceive ritual actions to bring about actual change on the planet. For this reason, even minor changes within the protocol may give the impression of a failure. When Barack Obama uttered the words of the presidential oath of office out of order, the legitimacy of his power was called into query. He needed to do it sooner or later repeat the oath. Furthermore, it feels when an motion is ritualized more special and appealing.
For this reason, rituals accompany all special transitions in our lives. And the more significant the moment, the more pomp is required. The grandeur and ritual of the ceremony activate psychological processes related to our assessment of the world. Good things require Effort after effort and resources. A ritual stuffed with opulence signals that it is a moment to recollect.
The opposite can be the case. Without a meaningful rite of passage, a vital transition could feel less real and lose meaning. Imagine that nobody remembers your fiftieth birthday; or that when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, you end up on a deserted island. If you had a watch with you, would this transition feel the identical?
A passage without rite
DeAndres Royal/North Carolina University via Getty Images
Not everyone seems to be fascinated about a graduation party. In fact, some graduates select to not attend their course. But these are the rare exceptions. The overwhelming majority of graduates care concerning the issue, as do their families, as evidenced by packed lecture halls and stadiums across the country.
In spring 2020, the University of Connecticut, where I teach, announced that it was suspending all campus activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first query my students asked me that day was, “Will we be able to have a graduation ceremony?” Like most colleges world wide, the reply was no. I still remember the frustration on their faces.
Also in 2020, most high schools canceled their graduations. And now a lot of these students have déjà vu. Once again they’re denied the chance to have fun their achievement.
Graduating from college will be some of the vital transitions in an individual's life. Unless they pursue higher education, this represents radical changes of their lifestyle, social relationships and general role in society.
The lack of a symbolic act to demarcate this modification can lead graduates to seek out themselves in Van Gennep's liminal space and feel that the transition has not been properly accomplished. In the words of the anthropologist Victor Turnerthey will probably be caught.”between.”
In addition to their personal meaning, rituals also play a vital role Shaping group identities. One could even argue that a conglomeration of people only truly becomes a bunch when collective rituals are performed. After all, the members of an clan normally only meet at events resembling weddings and funerals. Religious followers come together only to perform a sacred ceremony. And a student body only comes together to participate in a commencement.
Graduation ceremonies embody not only the sanctity of education and the importance of student achievement, but in addition the commitment of graduates to their institution and their fellow students. In this sense, such gatherings could also be more mandatory than ever in a divisive context.
image credit : theconversation.com