Присъждането на научно звание като посветителен ритуал
The Conferment of a Scientific Degree as a Rite of Initiation

Summary/Abstract: The ancient rites of initiation are a kind of archetypes providing the background of present-day ritual actions. The conferment of a scientific degree in its varied forms and variants is one such established type of ritual. The article analyzes its most elaborate forfm: the public defence of a dissertation or a PhD thesis. The fundamental idea is that each consecutive stage of the hierarchy of the procedure-ritual is associated with a certain type of examination, respectively a trial (presentation to the lowest level unit, assessment by reviewers, public exam-defence, etc.) These elements are not only part of the scientific proceeding; they are associated with the situation of a trial and with emotinal stress.

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