http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X56XLpnS4wA
Using the idea of civil religion (and other concepts/theories) watch these two clips and consider whether Royal weddings and funerals can be interpreted sociologically.
Monday 5 January 2009
How can sociology be applied to events of national interest such as Royal weddings and funerals?
Civil Religion - a set of secular beliefs and rituals contributing to the way of life of a nation, which are seen as sacred or special. Children are socialised into them and the way of life of a nation is often organised around them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X56XLpnS4wA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X56XLpnS4wA
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6 comments:
Royal weddings and funerals do the exact same job as any other wedding or funeral in society. It helps to bring people together as a society to either celebrate or mourn. With it being a royal event it attracts more people though.
Through the royal family having marriages through church it can help people choose to turn back to religion as they are following the example of those who are higher up in society then they are.
As for funerals they help to show that even when theres death there is a whole society there which can help support you which also helps you to remember the role in which you yourself has to play in society. By the royal family showing that they still have their obligations and are able to keep them after a death of a loved one helps yet again encourage others to do the same, if they experience a lost.
In conclusion I believe sociology can be applied to events of national interest such as weddigns and funerals as they help bring society together on a much larger scale then the "average" funeral or wedding.
Royal weddings allow the public to show their interest in the marriage of the Royal couple; this supports the Functionalist idea that religion forms social solidarity as many people watch and want to attend these weddings.
Funerals also have this effect on the public, but also within the family as well as Royal funerals take place a lot of the Royal family come together with their friends and family which shows others that they have a community of family which they can rely on. On the other hand, as the Royal Family are upper-class this can cause conflict with others as the idea of Marxsits see religion as being another way to divide the classes.
yes funerals and weddings can be seen as a civil religon as everyone in the community are coming together for a specific reason and they are united. zahra
The national events can be classed as civil religions because they gather people together. And they also have a shared consensus between them, along with songs and special clothes they all have to wear.
The Functionalist view of civil religion can help to explain the attention that is attracted to events of national interest such as Royal weddings and funerals.
These rituals and ceremonies remind individuals of their relationship with their nation, as such events are given sacred qualities. While traditional religion binds individuals to their communities, civil religion unites the nation together; promoting social integration and solidarity and also acting as a conservative force, restricting social change.
Looking at the two videos, both the marriage and the funeral of Princess Diana were held in a Church and this link to religion reinforces the sacred values associated with civil religion. As religion can funtion to relive the stress and anxiety of major life events.
Royal weddings are acting in the same way as regular weddings, in the sense that it's bringing people together. However, the Royal weddings and funerals are made global so it brings the whole of a society together. In the clips it shows people gathered outside and all up the street, bringing society together. This is evidence to support functionlist views of religion. As these people are feeling a sense of belonging, because they have something in common.
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