2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Comparative Ethnological Study of the Syncretization of Folk Customs and Human-Initiated Religions Based on a Survey of May Day Festivals in France and the United Kingdom
| Project/Area Number |
21401044
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 海外学術 |
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| Research Field |
Cultural anthropology/Folklore
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| Research Institution | National Museum of Japanese History |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha) |
SHINTANI Takanori 國學院大學, 文学部, 教授 (80259986)
THOHMAS Paramor gill 明治学院大学, 国際学部, 教授 (50323655)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2009 – 2011
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| Keywords | 民俗信仰 / 五月の木 / カトリック信仰 / 民俗分布 / A. V.ジェネップ / フランス / イギリス |
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| Research Abstract |
In this follow-up survey of traditional customs in May Day Festivals, such as the maypole and the selection of a May Queen which are described in Le folklore francais(1949) by A. V. Gennep, it was found that some places no longer practice these customs while other areas continue to. A total of four places in France, including Provence, continue to hold the events and it was observed that the involvement of a certain charismatic individual was central to event survival. The syncretization of folk customs and saint veneration was also noted in the dynamics of event continuation. In Southwest England, May festivities such as hobbyhorse festivals are still held today. Its mixture of sacred and secular elements, including the development of the event as a tourist attraction, was seen as a contrast between the UK and France.
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