A brief exploration of functionalism within Cultural Anthropology

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Cultural Studies - Basics and Definitions, grade: 1,75, Massey University, New Zealand, language: English, abstract: Ritual is a phenomenon that is ingrained into many aspects of our lives whether we are conscious of it or not. It is a subject of considerable anthropological discussion and many theories have been devised to account for its existence and meaning. This essay will focus on the functionalist approach to ritual in terms of its preceding theories, the different directions it took, and the theories that it inspired. This will be done primarily through an historical analysis of functionalism throughout the 19th and 20th century by its key proponents.