Media Ritual: Construction And Inheritance Of National Memory

"Funeral dance" is an ancient and peculiar custom derived from the ancient religious belief of forefathers of Tujia nationality. Scholars often make an analysis of the background, the origin and reveals the religious characteristics and philosophical meaning of it. From the angle of journalism, such a folkloristic phenomenon is a kind of media as a sacrifical rite which reveals special cultural information and it is a media ritual.This thesis analyzes the manifestation and characteristics of funeral dance. Its manifestation includes specific communicating place, communicating method, rules. Its characteristics are unusual, stylized and symbolic. The main theory used in this part is the theory of media ritual.This thesis analyzes the cultural compositions of funeral dance from its symbolic meaning and cultural psychology: it expresses fear to divinity from belief in spirit, imitates sorcery derived from totemism, celebrates death derived from equating life and death;it includes activating of prototype, carnival of people and release of ego. The main theories used in this part are theory of prorotype, theory of carnival and theory of ego.This thesis also analyzes the cultural functions of funeral dance including sacrificial function\amusement function\aesthetic function\ethic education function.Finally this thesis points out that funeral dance is still popular in Tujia district and develops new forms such as Bashan dance in Changyang. In conclusion, the cultural information which is revealed by funeral dance as a kind of media ritual is exactly the construction and development of a national memory.