Description
The "Perchtenlauf," a multi-faceted procession of masked participants found in the eastern Alps, has been the subject of considerable discourse and often debate within European ethnology since the mid-19th century. While often viewed from a mythological perspective and characterized as a relic of pre-Christian cult practices, only recently have scholars begun to examine its connection with Carnival. Research of this kind calls for an in-depth analysis of the "Perchtenlauf" that is informed by Bakhtin's theory of the carnivalesque, an aesthetic of festive merriment and the release from social restrictions which is embodied by Carnival traditions. A carnivalesque reading of the "Perchtenlauf" reveals a tradition pregnant with playful ambivalence, celebrations of the lower body, and the inversion of social hierarchies. Past interpretations of the "Perchtenlauf" have often described its alleged supernatural function of driving away the harmful forces of winter, however its carnavalesque elements have definite social functions involving the enjoyment of certain liberties not sanctioned under other circumstances. The current study solidifies the relationship between the "Perchtenlauf" and Carnival using ethnographic, historical, and etymological evidence in an attempt to reframe the discourse on the tradition's form and function in terms of carnivalesque performance.
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Details
Title
- Ritual rebellion and social inversion in Alpine Austria: rethinking the "Perchtenlauf" in its relationship to the carnivalesque
Contributors
- Natko, David (Author)
- Alexander, John (Thesis advisor)
- Gilfillan, Daniel (Committee member)
- Horwath, Peter (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2014
Subjects
Resource Type
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Note
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thesisPartial requirement for: M.A., Arizona State University, 2014
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bibliographyIncludes bibliographical references (p. 98-109)
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Field of study: German
Citation and reuse
Statement of Responsibility
by David Natko