Embodying the Swastika: Manipulating the Self for Access to Valued Interaction Rituals

• In Event: 039 - Regular Session. Sociology of the Body: New Directions in Body Studies

Abstract

The current paper draws from my active participant ethnographic fieldwork with a new religious movement to describe the process of symbol embodiment as a mechanism used to improve group positioning. This group, characterized by a fluctuating periphery, positions the “action” at the core where the members highest in emotional energy reside. While not all members may be characterized as working towards core integration, those relying on the group for their base of emotional energy may attempt to improve group positioning by adopting distancing mechanisms from other peripheral members; in this case, embodying the religious symbol – a swastika in the Star of David – becomes one mechanism to signal to the group’s core that they are seeking core integration. Signaling to the core an increased level of commitment through embodiment does not guarantee core integration however, but it does provide access to more valued interactions with central members by creating a “window of opportunity” which can be capitalized upon by establishing successful chains of interactions. Through successful interaction rituals a peripheral member is able to manipulate their group positioning in their effort to move towards the core while distancing themselves from peripheral members. Three members with varying group positions and trajectories are compared as the process of position manipulation via embodiment is presented.

Author

• Justin C. Van Ness, University of Notre Dame