TY - JOUR
T1 - Is There a Relationship between Ritual and Cliche?: Indigenous Fijian Criticism of Kava Drinking
AU - Tomlinson, Matt
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - This article poses the question of what analytical insight can be gained by comparing ritual and cliche, both of which involve evaluations of the significance of repetition. The case study is kava-drinking sessions in indigenous Fiji. Whether purposeful or casual, kava-drinking sessions always follow rules which give them significant form and regularity of the kind some anthropologists consider definitive of ritual practice. Yet many indigenous Fijians criticise present-day kava-drinking sessions for several reasons. One prominent line of criticism is that kava drinking is now a matter of too much repetition-too many people drinking too much too often-and losing the meaningful link to chiefly tradition as a result. Analysing criticism of ritual in terms of cliche clarifies situations in which the iconic force of repetition is treated as an index of excess.
AB - This article poses the question of what analytical insight can be gained by comparing ritual and cliche, both of which involve evaluations of the significance of repetition. The case study is kava-drinking sessions in indigenous Fiji. Whether purposeful or casual, kava-drinking sessions always follow rules which give them significant form and regularity of the kind some anthropologists consider definitive of ritual practice. Yet many indigenous Fijians criticise present-day kava-drinking sessions for several reasons. One prominent line of criticism is that kava drinking is now a matter of too much repetition-too many people drinking too much too often-and losing the meaningful link to chiefly tradition as a result. Analysing criticism of ritual in terms of cliche clarifies situations in which the iconic force of repetition is treated as an index of excess.
U2 - 10.1080/00141844.2019.1640265
DO - 10.1080/00141844.2019.1640265
M3 - Article
VL - Online
SP - 1
EP - 18
JO - Ethnos: Journal of Anthropology
JF - Ethnos: Journal of Anthropology
IS - Online
ER -