I'm currently desiging a term paper for a class on the archaeology of ritual and religion. Following is the topic-- I'd appreciate feedback and suggestions on reading. As you can tell, my temporal scope is a bit gaping currently.
I am designing my term paper, and I am interested in pursuing the following topic: material mediation of death in Japanese archaeology. I am interested in looking at the tension between life, death, and the pollution of death in Japanese religious practice; I am then interested in how this tension is relieved by ritual practice that results in the erection of material "monuments." These material objects, I argue, express the duality of Japanese death practices: the object stands as both a monument/purification of the deceased being and others involved-- however, the monument is also a reminder of the polluting activity. Examples include the jizo statues erected for fetuses, or the cow statue erected for beef consumed by Europeans. Ultimately, these material memorials serve to both alleviate the guilt of the aggressor (such as a mother, abortionist, or meat-eater), but also binds that individual to the alleviating community (like a temple). Temporally, I am looking at early modern to present day, with a focus on historical archaeological evidence.
I am designing my term paper, and I am interested in pursuing the following topic: material mediation of death in Japanese archaeology. I am interested in looking at the tension between life, death, and the pollution of death in Japanese religious practice; I am then interested in how this tension is relieved by ritual practice that results in the erection of material "monuments." These material objects, I argue, express the duality of Japanese death practices: the object stands as both a monument/purification of the deceased being and others involved-- however, the monument is also a reminder of the polluting activity. Examples include the jizo statues erected for fetuses, or the cow statue erected for beef consumed by Europeans. Ultimately, these material memorials serve to both alleviate the guilt of the aggressor (such as a mother, abortionist, or meat-eater), but also binds that individual to the alleviating community (like a temple). Temporally, I am looking at early modern to present day, with a focus on historical archaeological evidence.
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