Perspective

Douglas conducted studies among the Lele culture in the Belgian Congo in 1947. She taught at the University College London as well as worked in the US. Her publications, influenced by Roman Catholic beliefs, have been inspired by comparative religions. Her best known books have been Leviticus and the Cultural Theory of Risk.

In Purity and Danger she argues that symbols of purity are deeply rooted as part of religious and cultural tradition. While delving into the roots of certain beliefs about the purity and impurity of food, she unveils the way they have been accepted into everyday practices and rituals. Prohibited foods such as pigs represent more than just health concern. She unravels symbolism in practices that separate, instill notions of boundary and holiness, as that which is whole is pure. Through the issues of purity, sexuality is debated as being of particular importance to the maintenance of...