Magic, Witchcraft and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural, 6/e
| acculturation | Culture change occurring under conditions of close contact between two societies. The weaker group tends to acquire cultural elements of the dominant group.
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| age-grade | An association that includes all the members of a group who are of a certain age and sex (for example, a warrior age-grade).
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| age-set | A group of individuals of the same sex and age who move through some or all of the stages of an age-grade together.
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| ancestor worship | A religious practice involving the worship of the spirits of dead family and lineage members.
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| animatism | The attribution of life to inanimate objects.
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| animism | The belief in the existence of spiritual beings (Tylor's minimal definition of religion).
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| anthropomorphism | The attribution of human physical characteristics to objects not human.
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| anthropophagy | The consumption of human flesh (cannibalism).
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| ashram | A site where disciples of a Hindu teacher may visit or stay.
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| associations | Organizations whose membership is based on the pursuit of special interests.
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| astrology | The practice of foretelling the future by studying the supposed influence of the relative positions of the moon, sun, and stars on human affairs.
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| Aum Shinrikyo | A Japanese religious movement, whose followers were accused of releasing nerve gas in a Tokyo subway station in 1995.
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| avoidance rules | Regulations that define or restrict social interaction between certain relatives.
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| berdache | A French term for North American Indian transvestites who assume the cultural roles of women.
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| bokors | Haitian term for Voodoo sorcerers who administer so-called zombie powder to their intended victims.
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| bull-roarer | A flat board or other object that is swung at the end of a cord to produce a whirring sound; commonly used in religious ceremonies around the world.
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| bundu | A women's secret society among certain tribes of West Africa (also known as Sande).
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| cannibalism | See anthropophagy.
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| Cartesian | Ideas attributed to philosopher René Descartes; specifically, the notion that the human mind and body are two separate entities.
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| caste | An endogamus social division characterized by occupational or ritual specialization ascribed by birth.
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| ceremony | A formal act or set of acts established by custom as proper to a special occasion, such as a religious rite.
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| chador | In Iran, a long, capelike form of women's dress that usually does not cover the face. Literally means "tent."
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| chaebol | In Korea, giant manufacturing companies that export internationally.
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| charisma | Personal leadership qualities that endow an individual with the ability to attract followers. Often this quality of leadership is attributed to divine intervention.
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| churinga | Sacred objects used by Australian aborigines in a variety of rituals.
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| cicatrization | Ritual and cosmetic scarification.
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| clan | A unilineal descent group based on a fictive ancestor.
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| communitarianism | A secular or religious lifestyle in which groups share beliefs and material goods; these groups are ordinarily isolated from the general population.
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| convergent evolution | The biological process by which similar adaptations occur in species of different evolutionary lines.
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| cosmogony | A theory or account of the creation or origin of the world.
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| cosmology | Theory or philosophy of the nature and principles of the universe.
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| couvade | Culturally prescribed behavior of a father during and after the birth of his child; for example, mimicking the mother's labor pains.
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| coven | An organization of witches with a membership traditionally set at thirteen.
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| creationism | The belief that the living world originated from a divine act of creation. In the United States, usually associated with acceptance of the biblical book of Genesis as literal truth, belief that the earth is relatively young, and belief that both the physical structures and the living species of the earth have not changed since creation.
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| cult | An imprecise term, generally used as a pejorative to describe an often loosely organized group possessing special religious beliefs and practices.
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| cultural relativism | The concept that any given culture must be evaluated in terms of its own belief system.
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| Cultural Revolution | The period of radical change in China, in 1966-76, instigated by Communist Party leaders as well as youth. Strict governmental policies attempted to intensify Chinese communism.
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| cultural universals | Aspects of culture believed to exist in all human societies.
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| culture | The integrated total of learned behavior that is characteristic of members of a society.
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| culture trait | A single unit of learned behavior or its product.
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| curse | An utterance calling upon supernatural forces to send evil or misfortune to a person.
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| demon | A person, spirit, or thing regarded as evil.
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| diaspora | The dispersion or scattering of a population. Today, peoples that have migrated in large numbers across the globe, but who retain some sense of community or common identity--for example, the African diaspora, the South Asian diaspora, and, historically, the Jewish diaspora.
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| diffusion | A process in which cultural elements of one group pass to another.
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| divination | The process of contacting the supernatural to find an answer to a question regarding the cause of an event or to foretell the future.
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| emic | Shared perceptions of phenomena and ideology by members of a society; insiders' views.
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| endocannibalism | The eating of the remains of kinsmen and/or members of one's own group.
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| ethnocentrism | A tendency to evaluate foreign beliefs and behaviors according to one's own cultural traditions.
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| ethnography | A detailed anthropological description of a culture.
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| ethnology | A comparison and analysis of the ethnographic data from various cultures.
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| ethnomedicine | Beliefs and practices relating to diseases of the indigenous peoples of traditional societies.
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| ethos | The characteristic and distinguishing attitudes of a people.
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| etic | An outside observer's viewpoint of a society's phenomena or ideology.
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| euhemerism | The belief that myths are inaccurate, primitive explanations of the natural world or distorted accounts of the historical past. Based on the name of the classical philosopher Euhemeros of Messene (330-260 bce).
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| exorcism | The driving away of evil spirits by ritual.
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| familiar | A spirit, demon, or animal that acts as an intimate servant.
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| fetish | An object that is worshipped because of its supernatural power.
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| folk assemblage | A term coined by Jack Santino, referring to outdoor decorative displays used for holidays and birthdays, and to express patriotic sentiments in the United States, drawing upon symbols to communicate deeper social meanings.
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| folk medical syndrome | Illnesses that reflect a combination of emotional, cultural, and physical causes, usually associated with a particular culture or community.
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| folk model | A culturally based way of perceiving or understanding something, frequently in opposition to scientific or empirically based understandings.
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| folklore | The traditional beliefs, legends, myths, sayings, and customs of a people.
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| functionalism | An analytical approach that attempts to explain cultural traits in terms of the uses they serve within a society.
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| fundamentalism | A commitment to what are perceived as the original, core, and inerrant facets of a faith. May represent opposition to the status quo or to the current distribution of power within society or a religious group. In U.S. Protestantism, includes acceptance of the Bible as literal truth.
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| Ghost Dance | A nativistic movement among several tribes of North American Indians during the late nineteenth century.
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| ghosts | Spirits of the dead.
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| glossolalia | The verbalizing of utterances that depart from normal speech, such as the phenomenon of "speaking in tongues."
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| god | A supernatural being with great power over humans and nature.
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| guru | A Sanskrit word meaning "teacher." Associated with forms of knowledge that have spiritual or religious aspects.
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| gynophobia | An abnormal fear of women (also spelled gynephobia).
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| hallucinogen | Any of a number of hallucination-producing substances, such as LSD, peyote, ebene, and marijuana.
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| harem | The interior, domestic space of a Muslim home that observes seclusion of women. Usually includes women related through the extended family.
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| hijab | An Arabic word meaning "covering," used widely by Muslims across the world to refer to modest women's dress, which might take a variety of forms. Often interpreted in the West as "the veil."
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| holistic | In anthropology, the approach that emphasizes the study of a cultural and bioecological system in its entirety.
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| idolatry | Excessive devotion to or reverence for some person or thing.
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| incest taboo | The prohibition of sexual relations between close relatives as defined by society.
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| incubus | A male demon who seeks sexual intercourse with women in their sleep.
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| intercessory prayer | A request to a god, calling for aid to others.
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| invention of tradition | From the work of Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger, the idea that tradition is an ongoing process of creation, subject to the values and interpretations prevalent at any particular point in time.
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| invocation | The act of conjuring or calling forth good or evil spirits.
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| karma | The Buddhist idea, connected to the belief in reincarnation, that one's present status in life is determined by one's actions in past lives. Accumulating spiritual merit through one's own actions, or on behalf of others, can affect karma.
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| Lamarckian inheritance | The scientific principle, promoted by Jean Baptiste de Lamarck (1744-1829), that characteristics acquired by an individual during its lifetime could be passed on through heredity to that individual's offspring. A pre-Darwinian theory of evolution.
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| legend | A folkloric category that relates an important event popularly believed to have a historical basis although not verifiable.
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| Liberation Theology | A school of thought within Roman Catholicism, particularly in Latin America, that emphasizes social justice and the eradication of poverty.
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| liturgy | Public rituals and services of the Christian Church.
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| magic | A ritual practice believed to compel the supernatural to act in a desired way.
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| magic, contagious | A belief that associated objects can exert an influence on each other--for example, a spell cast using the intended victim's property.
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| magic, imitative | A belief that imitating a desired result will cause it to occur.
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| magic, sympathetic | A belief that an object can influence others that have an identity with it--for example, a bow symbolizes the intended victim.
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| magisterium | From Latin magister, for "teacher"; in the Roman Catholic Church, the church's domain of teaching authority. Adopted by S. J. Gould to refer to the separate realms of religion and science.
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| Mahabharata | One of the sacred epics associated with Hinduism.
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| mana | A sacred force inhabiting certain objects and people giving them extraordinary power.
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| mazeway | Anthony F. C. Wallace's term for an individual's cognitive map and positive and negative goals.
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| misogyny | The hatred of women.
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| monasticism | The institution or system of life associated with a monastery and its occupants.
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| monomyth | According to Joseph Campbell, the basic narrative that organizes all myths of the world.
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| monotheism | A belief that there is only one god.
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| moral injunction | A command, order, or prohibition regarding the right way to live.
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| mysticism | A contemplative process whereby an individual seeks union with a spiritual being or force.
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| myth | A sacred narrative believed to be true by the people who tell it.
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| nationalism | The idea of, and advocacy of, independence and unity of a nation. Usually based on some aspect(s) of group identity, such as ethnicity, language, or shared history. May be combined with other words--for example, to distinguish nationalism based on religious ties (religious nationalism) or nationalism that ignores religious affiliations (secular nationalism).
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| necromancy | The ability to foretell the future by communicating with the dead.
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| neo-paganism | A range of contemporary nature-oriented religions that draw inspiration from folklore, mythology, academic sources, and popular culture. Includes contemporary witches and practitioners of Wicca.
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| neurosis | A mild psychological disorder.
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| New Age | A loosely used term describing a combination of spirituality and superstition, fad and farce, that supposedly helps believers gain knowledge of the unknown. Largely a North American phenomenon, the movement includes beliefs in psychic predictions, channeling, astrology, and the powers of crystals and pyramids.
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| oath | An appeal to a deity to witness the truth of what one says.
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| occult | Certain mystic arts or studies, such as magic, alchemy, and astrology.
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| orality | A term used by Walter J. Ong to refer to reliance on nonprint forms of communication technology.
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| ordeal | A ritual method to supernaturally determine guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused to a physical test.
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| organic unity | The idea that cultures are composed of integrated parts, balanced and functioning harmoniously.
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| orthodox | Being in line with the main teachings of a church or religious tradition; conforming to a standard doctrine.
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| otherworldly | Devoted to concerns beyond the present material world; in connection with spiritual concerns or the prospect of an afterlife.
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| pantheism | The belief that God is everything and everything is God; (also) the worship of all gods.
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| participant observation | An anthropological field technique in which the ethnographer is immersed in the day-to-day activities of the community being studied.
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| Pentecostalism | A segment of Christianity that emphasizes involvement with the Holy Spirit (the third person of the holy trinity) through such experiences as divine healing, prophecy, and speaking in tongues.
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| petition prayer | A request to a god, calling for assistance or success for oneself.
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| peyote cult | A cult surrounding the ritual ingestion of any of a variety of mescal cactuses; commonly associated with certain Native American religious beliefs.
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| polygamy | Marriage to multiple partners.
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| polygyny | Marriage of one man to more than one woman.
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| polysemic | Having multiple meanings. A quality attributed to many symbols.
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| polytheism | See pantheism.
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| possession | A trance state in which malevolent or curative spirits enter a person's body.
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| primary source | Material coming from a source directly connected to a phenomenon. For example, texts authored by participants or newspaper stories published at the time of an event. Contrast to secondary sources, which are accounts, analyses, or interpretations written by later scholars or commentators.
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| primitive | A term used by anthropologists to describe a culture lacking a written language; cultures also characterized by low-level technology, small numbers, few extra-societal contacts, and homogeneity (sometimes referred to as preliterate or nonliterate cultures).
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| profane | Not concerned with religion or the sacred; the ordinary.
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| prophet | A religious leader or teacher regarded as, or claiming to be, divinely inspired who speaks for a god.
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| propitiation | The act or acts of gaining the favor of spirits or deities.
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| psychosis | A psychological disorder sufficiently damaging that it may disrupt the work or activities of a person's life.
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| purdah | The seclusion of women as practiced by some Hindus and Muslims. From the Urdu language.
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| reciprocity | A system of repayment of goods, objects, actions, and sometimes money, through which obligations are met and bonds created.
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| reincarnation | The belief that the soul reappears after death in another and different bodily form.
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| religion | A set of beliefs and practices pertaining to supernatural beings or forces.
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| revitalization movements | According to Anthony F. C. Wallace, a deliberate, organized, conscious effort by members of a society to construct a more satisfying culture.
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| rites of passage | Rituals associated with such critical changes in personal status as birth, puberty, marriage, and death.
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| ritual | A secular or sacred, formal, solemn act, observance, or procedure in accordance with prescribed rules or customs.
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| sacred | Venerated objects and actions considered holy and entitled to reverence.
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| sacrifice | The ritualized offering of a person, plant, or animal as propitiation or in homage to the supernatural.
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| sadhu | In India, a holy man; an ascetic who has renounced material wealth and cut ties with his family and previous identity.
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| sect | A small religious group with distinctive beliefs and practices that set it apart from other similar groups in the society.
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| secular | Not sacred or religious.
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| shaman | A religious specialist and healer with powers derived directly from supernatural sources.
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| society | A group of people sharing a common territory, language, and culture.
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| sorcery | The use of magical paraphernalia by an individual to harness supernatural powers ordinarily to achieve evil ends.
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| soul | Immortal or spiritual part of a person believed to separate from the physical body at death.
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| spontaneous memorials | Collections of mementoes brought by mourners either to the site of someone's death or to a place closely associated with the deceased. Most frequently associated with unanticipated, violent deaths.
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| structuralism | An anthropological approach to the understanding of the deep, subconscious, unobservable structure of human realities that is believed to determine observable behavior (a leading exponent: Claude Lévi-Strauss).
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| succubus | A female demon who seeks sexual intercourse with men in their sleep.
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| supernatural | A force or existence that transcends the natural.
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| Sutras | The sacred texts or scriptures of Buddhism.
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| symbol | An object, gesture, word, or other representation to which an arbitrary shared meaning is given.
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| syncretism | A process of culture change in which the traits and elements of one culture are given new meanings or new functions when they are adapted by another culture--for example, the combining of Catholicism and African ancestor worship to form Voodoo.
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| taboo | A sacred prohibition put upon certain people, things, or acts that makes them untouchable, unmentionable, and so on (also tabu, tabou, tapu).
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| talisman | A sacred object worn to ensure good luck or to ward off evil. Also known as an amulet or charm.
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| teleology | The process of being directed by an end or shaped by a purpose, especially in nature.
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| theocracy | Rule by religious specialists.
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| theology | Religious knowledge or belief; the study of god or religion, from the perspective of believers.
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| totem | An animal, plant, or object considered related to a kin group and viewed as sacred.
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| trance | An altered state of consciousness induced by religious fervor, fasting, repetitive movements and rhythms, drugs, and so on.
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| transcendence | The condition of being separate from or beyond the material world.
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| Voodoo | A syncretic religion of Haiti that combines Catholicism and African ancestor worship; sometimes referred to as Tovodun or Vodun.
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| witchcraft | An evil power inherent in certain individuals that permits them, without the use of magical charms or other paraphernalia, to do harm or cause misfortune to others.
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| zombie | In Haiti, an individual believed to have been placed in a trancelike state through the administration of a psychotropic drug given secretly, thus bringing the victim under the control of another.
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2005 McGraw-Hill Higher Education