We as human existences of course strive to take part and be active members of a “society” or a civilization in order to experience incorporated into some sort of construction. Within a structured “society” there must be an mediate or “threshold people” ( 1 pg. 95 ) . which is depicted by Victor W. Turner as liminality. Liminality is a province of being mediate a structured society or “limbo of statuslessness” in which the person or group becomes homogenized ( 1 pg. 97 ) . An illustration of a liminal civilization is the Amish ; they separate themselves from the “outsiders” to avoid wickedness. Within the Amish civilization they have communitas which defined by Tuner as no societal construction ; this period of clip is demonstrated by the Amish before they join the church or go baptised. In the book “The Ritual Process Structure and Anti-Structure” by Victor Turner. Tuner defines liminality. communitas. rites of position lift. rites of position reversal. and faiths of humbleness ; in which all assistance to analyse the Amish civilization in the movie Devil’s Playground.
Liminal persons or civilizations are those who are on the borders of society. The Amish in my perspective live in the borders of society. mediate jurisprudence and construction. They volitionally withdraw from normal norms of those around them. To the outside universe they are in a province of communitas with no construction outside of their civilization and are all homogenized. uniform and equal.
The movie Devil’s Playground depicts the common Amish adolescent undergoing “rumspringa” ( 2 ) which is a liminal province of being for the Amish. During this period the Amish adolescent is granted the autonomy of sing the universe outside of their civilization. They are allowed to dress “English” . fume. devour alcoholic drinks. talk on cell phones. thrust cars. and a opportunity of wooing ; which are all prohibited once they join the Amish church. When the Amish adolescent leaves to be in a liminal province as Turner depicts. he/she is sing a province of humbleness. Liminality suggests that in order to be high. one must be low and frailty versa ( 1 pg 97 ) . The low position comes with the given privileges of “rumspringa” and the high position comes when they join the church. Gerald. a adolescent Amish in the movie depicts this province as a “vaccination” ( 3 ) . This period of “rumspringa” ceases when the adolescent decided to fall in the church by being baptized or chooses to non fall in the church for good. 95 % of the Amish adolescents will fall in ( 3 )
Another thought of Tuner that assists on analysing the Amish civilization is that of communitas. Communitas is gained by “stripping equalising and seting on the behaviour of failing and poverty” ( 1 pg. 197 ) . The Amish are stripped from holding any engineering because they feel that engineering merely makes the household construction weak. Having electricity. telecasting. cars. and telephones are recognized by the Amish as enticement that could make a sense of inequality within their imposts. They perceive engineering iniquitous magnet drawing off from the Amish close-knit “society” which is non accepted.
A 3rd thought that Tuner describes to analyse the Devils Playground are the rites of statues lift and the rites of position reversal. The rites of position lift are defined as traveling from low position to a higher 1. In the movie this was demonstrated when the adolescent decides to come out of the liminal province and go a member of the church in which he/she is at a stable province and expected to act in understanding with the Amish imposts. The rites of position reversal are defined as a degrading of place within that civilization or humbling of the person. The Amish undergo this thought one time they are stripped from the outside word abdicating to a drivers licence. intoxicant. electronics and everything else that is seen as iniquitous and as enticements to the Amish. Once they join the church and undergo the rites of position reversal. it is thought of conveying societal construction back into the person ( 1 pg. 178 ) . Marriage outside the spiritual guidelines is besides a position reversal which is demonstrated by eschewing of the person.
Which in the “outside” universe matrimony is seen as a ritual position lift. The concluding thought of Tuner that aids on depicting the movie is faiths of humbleness. Religious humbleness is the “unimportance of differentiations of position. belongings. age. sex. and other natural and cultural differentiae” ( 1 pg. 189 ) A mark of humbleness is depicted by the Amish vesture manner which besides separated them from the “outsiders” . The Amish frock in a really simplistic manner. Humility is besides seen as “structural inferiority” ( 1 pg 91 ) . The Amish as shown in the movie have really low position employments. A carpenter to the outside universe is seen as a low position occupation since an instruction and grade is seen as a higher rank. Faron. an Amish adolescent in the movie is really proud of his father’s carpenter position which demonstrated the humbleness of position to the Amish civilization.
In decision. in order to maintain a civilization. faith. or society in tacked these spreads known as liminality and communitas are necessary. If there were no “in-between” society or construction would non be. In my position after analysing the movie. Amish are seen as “liminal beings” who choose to segregate themselves from the outside universe. They live in the borders of society and within their society have communitas. rites of position lift. and rites of position reversal. Having liminality and communitas creates a “social average” ( pg. 203 ) in which 1 is given the option of different waies ; equality. humbleness. position reversal. and position lift.
Mentions:
1. Turner. Victor W. The Ritual Process Structure and Anti-Structure. Chicago: Walter de Gruyter. Inc. 1995. 2. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. Amish. 25 January. 2012. hypertext transfer protocol: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Amish 3. Cantor. Steven. & A ; Walker Lucy. ( 2002 ) Devil’s Playground. United States: Colombian Pictures.
