«Identity Grids» Mary Douglas: The potential in exploring current culture

Abstract

The article examines the research course of the British anthropologist and cultural critic Mary Douglas (1921-2007) in relation to the analysis of phenomena and processes of current culture. The emphasis is placed on the concept of the «identity grid», which, from Douglas' point of view, allows not only to model variants of interpretations of cultural customs, traditions and rituals, but also to «sift» remnants and archetypes «through» the value-normative attitudes of certain societies or groups. In the end, the researcher, relying on rich ethnographic material, shows how the distance between remnants and actual culture is determined. As established in the article, Douglas in some of her works focuses on the use of the «identity grid» as a way for communities and specific cultural bearers to recognize certain value structures of being.