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Week 7: Ritual and Social Change: A Javanese Example — Key Notes

The Dynamic Functionalist Framework

Geertz(1973) argues for a more dynamic functionalist approach that treats culture and social structure as independent but interdependent aspects of social life. He emphasizes that changes in one domain cannot be fully understood by collapsing them into a single, static system.

• interpretive approach to symbolic Anthro

• American cultural anthropology

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Core Distinctions

Culture is an ordered system of meaning and symbols through which social interaction is interpreted; social structure is the pattern of ongoing social interaction itself. Together with the personality structure of individuals, they form three interdependent components of action, none reducible to the others. This yields two distinct forms of integration: logico-meaningful integration (culture) and causal-functional integration (social structure).

Logico-Meaningful vs Causal-Functional Integration

Logico-meaningful integration refers to unity of style, meaning, and value (e.g., Bach fugue, Catholic dogma, relativity theory). Causal-functional integration refers to a tightly connected causal network in a social organism where parts function together to sustain the system. These two forms can diverge, producing tension and incongruities within a concrete action system.

The Case Setting: Modjokuto Funeral

Geertz applies this framework to a funeral in Modjokuto, Java(kompong), where a child’s death disrupted a long-standing ritual pattern (slametan) used to harmonize religious meanings with social ties. The setting involves a syncretic religious culture (Hindu-Buddhist, Islamic, and indigenous elements) and evolving urban politics, with major groups like Masjumi (santri)- they are Marxist and nationlist and Permai (abangan)- Islamic state /shaver law =influencing ritual life.

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Ritual Pattern: Slametan(10 closest neighbours )and Funeral

The slametan is a communal feast designed to appease spirits and strengthen neighborhood solidarity. It embodies the integration of territorial social ties with religious meaning. Normally, the ritual supports both social cohesion and psychological security in a peasant village context, aligning village structure with shared belief.

The Disruption: Change and Political Tension

Since 1910, modernization, urbanization, and ideological movements (Islamic reform, secular nationalism, Marxism) have altered how people relate—geographically tied ties weaken while ideologies gain importance. In Modjokuto, the santri–abangan divide becomes politically salient, with Masjumi and Permai leading competing visions. The funeral becomes a site where ritual meaning collides with political allegiance.

The Actors and Institutions

Key actors include the Modin (mosque/traditional funeral leader), village officials, Masjumi leaders, Permai militants, and local shopkeepers like Abu who straddle groups. The subdistrict officer plays a coercive role, signaling how state authority intersects with religious rites. The funeral thus becomes a battleground where political symbols intrude into sacred rites.

The Burial Episode: Sequence and Tensions

Paidjan’s death triggers a normal slametan, but the process stalls as Modin refuses to officiate due to Permai’s political symbol displayed at the home. Abu and other santris attempt to proceed, while abangans resist. Family emotions erupt; the mother’s public display and the father’s later iklas declaration reveal competing meanings—religious obligation versus political assertion.

Analytical Challenge: Why Standard Functionalism Fails

Traditional functionalist explanations either emphasize social disintegration or cultural demoralization, but they misattribute causality and ignore the independence of culture and social structure, yet interdependent . The paidjan funeral shows a disruption not from secularization or general decline, but from a misalignment between the cultural meanings embedded in slametan and the evolving urban social organization that emphasizes ideological ties.

Conclusion: A Dynamic Functionalist Account

The case demonstrates that social change often arises from discontinuities between logico-meaningful (cultural) and causal-functional (social) integrations. Culture remains a powerful symbolic system, while social life becomes urbanized and pluralistic. <Geerts point . A dynamic functionalist approach—recognizing independent yet interdependent dimensions—better explains how rituals can both stabilize and destabilize communities during periods of transition.

Key Terms to Remember

  • Slametan: Javanese communal feast serving as social integration and spiritual appeasement.

  • Santri vs Abangan: Islam-oriented vs syncretic/indigenized religious orientations; growing political significance.

  • Masjumi: Islam-based political party representing santri perspectives.

  • Permai: Culturally abangan-leaning, anti-Islamic reform; combines Marxist ideas with indigenous religiosity.

  • Modin: Official who conducts funerals; symbolically central to ritual integrity.

  • Ikhlas: Affective state of detachment or acceptance in the face of loss; social harmony (rukun) sought in mourning.

  • Logico-meaningful integration: Culture-driven unity of meaning and value.

  • Causal-functional integration: Social structure-driven causal coherence in action.

  • Dynamic functionalist: An approach that treats culture, social structure, and personality as distinct yet interdependent factors to explain change.