Victor Turner
Encyclopedia
Victor Witter Turner was a British
cultural anthropologist best known for his work on symbols, rituals and rites of passage. His work, along with that of Clifford Geertz
and others, is often referred to as symbolic and interpretive anthropology
.
, Scotland
, son to Norman and Violet Turner. His father was an electrical engineer and his mother a repertory actress who founded the Scottish National Players. Turner initially studied poetry and classics at the University College London
. As a school boy Turner was an avid reader of the classics, religious works, epics, and poetry. In 1941 Turner was drafted into World War II
, and served as a noncombatant until 1944. During his five years of service he met and married Edith Turner. It was during his war experience that his interest in anthropology
was sparked. He returned to University College in 1946 with a new focus on Anthropology. He later pursued graduate studies in anthropology at Manchester University. Turner's interest in Social Drama has roots in the precedent of Kenneth Burke
and Erving Goffman
.
While at Manchester Turner developed a relationship with Max Gluckman
, the head of the anthropology department at the time. This eventually led to Turner's position as research officer for the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute
. It was through the position that Turner started his life long study of the Ndembu tribe of Zambia
. While observing the Ndembu, Turner became intrigued by ritual
and rites of passage
. He completed his PhD
in 1955. Turner's doctoral dissertation did not reflect his interest in ritual. Due to Max Gluckman, the Rhodes-Livingston Institute, and the nature of British social anthropology Turner was discouraged from pursuing such interests. Like many of the Manchester Anthropologists of his time, he also became concerned with conflict, and created the new concept of social drama in order to account for the symbolism of conflict and crisis resolution among Ndembu villagers. Turner spent his career exploring rituals. As a professor at the University of Chicago
, Turner began to apply his study of rituals and rites of passage to world religions and the lives of religious heroes.
Turner gained notoriety by exploring Arnold van Gennep
's threefold structure of rites of passage and expanding theories on the liminal phase. Van Gennep's structure consisted of a pre-liminal phase (separation), a liminal phase (transition), and a post-liminal phase (reincorporation). Turner noted that in liminality
, the transitional state between two phases, individuals were "betwixt and between": they did not belong to the society that they previously were a part of and they were not yet reincorporated into that society. Liminality is a limbo, an ambiguous period characterized by humility, seclusion, tests, sexual ambiguity, and communitas. Communitas
is defined as an unstructured community where all members are equal.
Turner was also a committed ethnographer
who constantly mused about his craft in his books and articles. Eclectic in his use of ideas borrowed from other theorists, he was rigorous in demanding that the ideas he developed illuminate ethnographic data; a theorist for theory's sake he was not. A powerful example of his attitudes can be found in the opening paragraph of the essay "Social Dramas and Ritual Metaphors" in Victor Turner's Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society (1974). There he writes,
Turner's work on ritual has stood as one of the most influential theories in anthropology during the twentieth century; but recently this "Turnerian Paradigm" has been challenged. With reference to his concept of communitas, John Eade and Michael J. Sallnow's work Contesting the Sacred (1991) directly opposes it (briefly, as idealized); and more recently a compilation of essays on pilgrimage edited by John Eade & Simon Coleman, Reframing Pilgrimage: Cultures in Motion (2004) have suggested that the work has rendered pilgrimage
neglected as an area of anthropological study, due to Turner's assertion that pilgrimage was, by its liminal nature, extraordinary and not part of daily life (and therefore not a part of the make up of everyday society).
Performance studies
scholar Richard Schechner
drew from Turner's theories on social drama and liminality, and the two worked collaboratively until his death. Turner's work has resurfaced in recent years (90s-00s) among a variety of disciplines, proving to be an important part of the social sciences.
Edith Turner, Victor Turner's wife, has also both built upon and developed innovative ideas that complement notions of liminality, communitas, and the ritual process. She is currently a lecturer at the University of Virginia
and the editor of the journal Anthropology and Humanism. Their son Robert Turner
is an expert in physics
and magnetic resonance imaging
who has also published articles in the fields of social anthropology
and neuroanthropology
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
cultural anthropologist best known for his work on symbols, rituals and rites of passage. His work, along with that of Clifford Geertz
Clifford Geertz
Clifford James Geertz was an American anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology, and who was considered "for three decades...the single most influential cultural anthropologist in the United States." He served until...
and others, is often referred to as symbolic and interpretive anthropology
Symbolic anthropology
Symbolic anthropology is the study of cultural symbols and how those symbols can be interpreted to better understand a particular society. It is often viewed in contrast to cultural materialism. According to symbolic anthropologists, the scientific method does not concern human behavior nor...
.
Biography and research interests
Victor Turner was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, son to Norman and Violet Turner. His father was an electrical engineer and his mother a repertory actress who founded the Scottish National Players. Turner initially studied poetry and classics at the University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. As a school boy Turner was an avid reader of the classics, religious works, epics, and poetry. In 1941 Turner was drafted into World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and served as a noncombatant until 1944. During his five years of service he met and married Edith Turner. It was during his war experience that his interest in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
was sparked. He returned to University College in 1946 with a new focus on Anthropology. He later pursued graduate studies in anthropology at Manchester University. Turner's interest in Social Drama has roots in the precedent of Kenneth Burke
Kenneth Burke
Kenneth Duva Burke was a major American literary theorist and philosopher. Burke's primary interests were in rhetoric and aesthetics.-Personal history:...
and Erving Goffman
Erving Goffman
Erving Goffman was a Canadian-born sociologist and writer.The 73rd president of American Sociological Association, Goffman's greatest contribution to social theory is his study of symbolic interaction in the form of dramaturgical perspective that began with his 1959 book The Presentation of Self...
.
While at Manchester Turner developed a relationship with Max Gluckman
Max Gluckman
Max Gluckman was a South African and British social anthropologist.He grew up in South Africa, working later under the British Administration in Northern Rhodesia...
, the head of the anthropology department at the time. This eventually led to Turner's position as research officer for the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute
Rhodes-Livingstone Institute
Founded in 1938 under the initial directorship of Godfrey Wilson, the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute was the first local anthropological research facility in Africa...
. It was through the position that Turner started his life long study of the Ndembu tribe of Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
. While observing the Ndembu, Turner became intrigued by ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
and rites of passage
Rites of Passage
Rites of Passage is an African American History program sponsored by the Stamford, Connecticut US public schools. The program consists of an extra day of schooling on Saturday for 12 weeks, service projects, and a culminating educational trip to Gambia and Senegal. Gambia and Senegal are the...
. He completed his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1955. Turner's doctoral dissertation did not reflect his interest in ritual. Due to Max Gluckman, the Rhodes-Livingston Institute, and the nature of British social anthropology Turner was discouraged from pursuing such interests. Like many of the Manchester Anthropologists of his time, he also became concerned with conflict, and created the new concept of social drama in order to account for the symbolism of conflict and crisis resolution among Ndembu villagers. Turner spent his career exploring rituals. As a professor at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, Turner began to apply his study of rituals and rites of passage to world religions and the lives of religious heroes.
Turner gained notoriety by exploring Arnold van Gennep
Arnold van Gennep
Arnold van Gennep was a noted French ethnographer and folklorist.-Biography:He was born in Ludwigsburg, Kingdom of Württemberg...
's threefold structure of rites of passage and expanding theories on the liminal phase. Van Gennep's structure consisted of a pre-liminal phase (separation), a liminal phase (transition), and a post-liminal phase (reincorporation). Turner noted that in liminality
Liminality
Liminality is a psychological, neurological, or metaphysical subjective state, conscious or unconscious, of being on the "threshold" of or between two different existential planes, as defined in neurological psychology and in the anthropological theories of ritual by such writers as Arnold van...
, the transitional state between two phases, individuals were "betwixt and between": they did not belong to the society that they previously were a part of and they were not yet reincorporated into that society. Liminality is a limbo, an ambiguous period characterized by humility, seclusion, tests, sexual ambiguity, and communitas. Communitas
Communitas
Communitas is a Latin noun commonly referring either to an unstructured community in which people are equal, or to the very spirit of community. It also has special significance as a loanword in cultural anthropology and the social sciences....
is defined as an unstructured community where all members are equal.
Turner was also a committed ethnographer
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
who constantly mused about his craft in his books and articles. Eclectic in his use of ideas borrowed from other theorists, he was rigorous in demanding that the ideas he developed illuminate ethnographic data; a theorist for theory's sake he was not. A powerful example of his attitudes can be found in the opening paragraph of the essay "Social Dramas and Ritual Metaphors" in Victor Turner's Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society (1974). There he writes,
In moving from experience of social life to conceptualization and intellectual history, I follow the path of anthropologists almost everywhere. Although we take theories into the field with us, these become relevant only if and when they illuminate social reality. Moreover, we tend to find very frequently that it is not a theorist’s whole system which so illuminates, but his scattered ideas, his flashes of insight taken out of systemic context and applied to scattered data. Such ideas have a virtue of their own and may generate new hypotheses. They even show how scattered facts may be systematically connected! Randomly distributed through some monstrous logical system, they resemble nourishing raisins in a cellular mass of inedible dough. The intuitions, not the tissue of logic connecting them, are what tend to survive in the field experience.
Turner's work on ritual has stood as one of the most influential theories in anthropology during the twentieth century; but recently this "Turnerian Paradigm" has been challenged. With reference to his concept of communitas, John Eade and Michael J. Sallnow's work Contesting the Sacred (1991) directly opposes it (briefly, as idealized); and more recently a compilation of essays on pilgrimage edited by John Eade & Simon Coleman, Reframing Pilgrimage: Cultures in Motion (2004) have suggested that the work has rendered pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
neglected as an area of anthropological study, due to Turner's assertion that pilgrimage was, by its liminal nature, extraordinary and not part of daily life (and therefore not a part of the make up of everyday society).
Performance studies
Performance Studies
Performance studies have been growing as an academic field since the 1960s. Performance studies believe in the social act of Doing as it takes performance itself as the object of inquiry.The process of defining it becomes a practice in performance studies itself...
scholar Richard Schechner
Richard Schechner
Richard Schechner is Professor of Performance Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University , editor of TDR: The Drama Review, and artistic director of East Coast Artists. His BA is from Cornell University , MA from the University of Iowa , and PhD from Tulane University...
drew from Turner's theories on social drama and liminality, and the two worked collaboratively until his death. Turner's work has resurfaced in recent years (90s-00s) among a variety of disciplines, proving to be an important part of the social sciences.
Edith Turner, Victor Turner's wife, has also both built upon and developed innovative ideas that complement notions of liminality, communitas, and the ritual process. She is currently a lecturer at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and the editor of the journal Anthropology and Humanism. Their son Robert Turner
Robert Turner (scientist)
Robert Turner is a director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, and is an internationally recognized expert in brain physics and magnetic resonance imaging...
is an expert in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
who has also published articles in the fields of social anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
and neuroanthropology
Neuroanthropology
Neuroanthropology is the study of culture and the brain. This field explores how new findings in the brain sciences help us understand the interactive effects of culture and biology on human development and behavior...
.
Books
The following is a list of books and chapters in books by Victor Turner.- The Forest of Symbols: Aspects of Ndembu Ritual (1967), Cornell University Press 1970 paperback: ISBN 0-8014-9101-0
- Schism and Continuity in an African Society (1968), Manchester University Press
- Drums of Affliction: A Study of Religious Processes Among the Ndembu of Zambia (1968), Oxford University Press
- The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure (1969), Aldine Transaction 1995 paperback: ISBN 0-202-01190-9
- Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society (1974), Cornell University Press 1975 paperback: ISBN 0-8014-9151-7
- Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture (1978), Edith L. B. Turner (coauthor), Columbia University Press 1995 paperback: ISBN 0-231-04287-6
- From Ritual to Theatre: The Human Seriousness of Play (1982), PAJ Publications paperback: ISBN 0-933826-17-6
- Liminality, Kabbalah, and the Media (1985), Academic Press
- The Anthropology of Performance (1986), PAJ Publications paperback: ISBN 1-55554-001-5
- The Anthropology of Experience (1986), University of Illinois Press 2001 paperback: ISBN 0-252-01249-6
Books and articles about Turner
- Graham St John (ed.) 2008. Victor Turner and Contemporary Cultural Performance. New York: Berghahn. ISBN 1845454626.