Douglas, Mary

Douglas, Mary

(1921-) British social and cultural anthropologist who has made a particular study of RITUAL, symbolism and TABOO (e.g. Purity and Danger, 1966; Natural Symbols, 1970), much of this study possessing a special relevance for womens studies. She presents ritual prohibitions, including restrictions on womens activities, as occurring where social phenomena are held to ‘threaten’ existing classificatory systems.