1. Drawing upon Victor Turners description of Ndembu rituals, write an essay comparing symbolic/interpretive (Turner’s and Geertz’s) approaches with cognitive (Boyer and Keller/Lehman) approaches to religious symbolism. What symbols did Turner interpret in Ndembu rites of passage and how did he describe their meanings and how would cognitive anthropologists (Boyer, Keller/Lehman, Daniels) interpret these same symbols? (40 points)
2. For the last two pages answer this question: Write an essay describing and discussing Talal Asads approach to body techniques and cultivation of the self, using examples from Asad’s and Saba Mahmoods (his student’s) works. What were their main ideas about practice and how did they apply them to Catholic monks and the Muslim women’s piety movement? What was Asads criticism of interpretive/symbolic anthropological approaches to ritual practice? How can a cognitive perspective refine Asads approach to practice? (40 points)
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