Frazer: Symbols & Society

The clicking sound emanates from a wire in my (subsequently discarded) Logitech headset tapping against the microphone casing. Sorry, it's extremely annoying.

I'm Dr. Nicholas Herriman, lecturer in anthropology at La Trobe University.

This presentation asks what Frazer’s theory of symbols tells us about being human? It is part of Week 1 in my subject Symbols and Society: http://anthropologyofsymbols.blogspot...
Frazer's theory is problematic in so many ways, it is difficult to know where to begin. On the other hand, it is hard to understand anthropological approaches to symbols without first looking at Frazer's argument. Frazer argues that some symbols are survivals of prehistoric thought. Our prehistoric ancestors believed, by using magic, they could maintain the soul or spirit of something. After the body died the soul would live on. Even today, 'primitive' tribes still hold these beliefs and practice these rituals. European cultures have evolved through magic and science into advanced societies. However, even in these advanced societies, magical belief and ritual survive as symbols.