The word “symbology” appears in several English dictionaries. According to the American Heritage Dictionary ^[1] it means:

1. the study or interpretation of symbols or symbolism, 2. the use of symbols

And the Merriam-Webster Dictionary^[2] has:

1. the art of expression by symbols, 2. the study or interpretation of symbols, 3. a system of symbols.

Origin of Symbology

Also known as "processual symbolic analysis", this concept was developed by Victor Turner in the mid-1970s to refer to the use of symbols within cultural contexts, in particular ritual. In anthropology, symbology originated as part of Victor Turner's concept of "comparative symbology". Turner (1920-1983) was professor of Anthropology at Cornell University, the University of Chicago, and finally he was Professor of Anthropology and Religion at the University of Virginia. See references below. ^[3]

Symbology versus Semiotics

Semiotics is a linguistic-style study of signs, with a deconstruction of signs and symbols in relation to structure. Semiotics is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dicitonary as "a general philosophical theory of signs and symbols that deals especially with their function in both artificially constructed and natural languages and comprises syntactics, semantics, and pragmatics."

In contrast, Victor Turner's theories in general were purposefully "anti-structure". His theories or models focused on performance and drama.

Symbology versus Symbolism

Symbolism is the use of a symbol to send a message. For example, the simple symbolism of a cross is to represent Christianity.

Symbology is the symbolism plus how it is used in ritual (aka "ritual performance"). For example, on Good Friday of each year a man dressed in a white robe will bear a large wooden cross on his shoulders, dragging it along cobble streets in Jerusalem. People in the crowd watching will offer to take the cross for a while to relieve the man of his burden. Within the ritual context or drama, the symbol of the cross is grouped with other symbols, such as the white robe, and the location (Jerusalem, a narrow cobbled street). ALL of that "ritual performance" is symbology.

Symbology in Fiction and Popular Culture

In Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code. Religious Symbology is the academic discipline pursued by the hero of Dan Brown's novels, The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Specifically, the Da Vinci Code refers to Robert Langdon (the lead character in the novel) as "Professor of Religious Symbology, Harvard University" (Brown 2003:7). Brown's character Langdon very much fits with an anthropological perspective of symbols and religion. The character discusses religious symbols in a cross-cultural sense, he de-contextualizes symbols, discusses how they are used within ritual, and presents a diachronic (over-time) interpretation of changes in symbology. In other words: when and how the symbols are used within the cultural context change over time (in this case through prehistory and history).^[4][5] This article is about the novel. ... Dan Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for writing the controversial 2003 bestselling fiction novel, The Da Vinci Code. ... This article is about the novel. ... Wikibooks has more about this subject: Angels and Demons Angels and Demons (which can also be shortened as Angels & Demons) is a bestselling mystery novel by Dan Brown. ... The Da Vinci Code book cover The Da Vinci Code is a novel written by American author Dan Brown and published in 2003 by Doubleday Fiction (ISBN 0385504209). ...

In the PlayStation 2 RPG Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time, symbology is a scientific research/technology, used in place of magic, and, in a way, is a sort of cheat code the residents of this bizarre game world use in order to get certain powers. This power is accessed by putting symbols on one's arm, in the game. It also opens up the path to a shocking plot twist later in the game. The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3 (which is to be released in November 2006 in Japan and North America, and March 2007 in Europe). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Introduction Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is the third game in the Star Ocean video game series. ... Magic/magick and sorcery are the influencing of events, objects, people and physical phenomena by mystical or paranormal means. ... Cheat codes are codes that can be entered into a video game to change the games behavior. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Look up Power in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A Plot twist is a change (twist) in the direction or expected outcome of the plot of a film or novel. ...

In the film Boondock Saints, it appears in dialogue as a misusage or malapropism. The FBI agent Paul Smecker, played by Willem Dafoe, chastises a police detective he is working with for using the word symbology. The implication is that he is irked by the officer's statement because he sees symbology as a malapropism for the word symbolism. The dialogue is as follows: The Boondock Saints (1999) is a cult film about two Irish brothers in Boston who, in response to rampant organized crime, turn to vigilantism and are named Saints by the Boston press. ... Willem Dafoe William Willem Dafoe Jr. ... Look up Malapropism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Police detective: "So, What's the symbology there?"

Smecker: "Symbology?...Now that Duffy has relinquished his king bonehead crown, I see we have an heir to the throne. I'm sure the word you were looking for was symbolism. What is the symbolism there?"

See also

• Anthropology of religion
• Symbolic anthropology
• Victor Turner
• Symbolism
• Semiotics - the study of symbols and signs

The anthropology of religion involves the study of religious institutions in relation to other social institutions, and the comparison of religious beliefs and practices across cultures. ... Symbolic anthropology (or more broadly, symbolic and interpretive anthropology) is a diverse set of approaches within cultural anthropology that view culture as a symbolic system that arises primarily from human interpretations of the world. ... Victor W. Turner (May 28, 1920 - 1983) was a renowned anthropologist. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ The word 'Symbology' in the American Heritage Dictionary
2. ^ The word 'Symbology' in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
3. ^ * Liminal to liminoid in play, flow, and ritual: An essay in comparative symbology. Rice University Studies 60(3):53-92, 1974, describes comparative symbology of Victor Turner.
4. ^ Some non-anthropological scholars have suggested that Langdon's character is not a symbologist, and that there is no such discipline as "religious symbology". That is a misinterpretation. While "religious symbology" is not a formal discipline, and may not exist as a department within a university, per se, it is an approach or model of study within the anthropology of religion or symbolic anthropology
5. ^ Karen L. King, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard, called "symbology" a nonexistent field, and suggested that the closest field, semiology, is unrepresented at Harvard. She also suggested that Brown's Langdon does not act as a semiologist, but is closer to being an art historian studying iconography. See C. E. Jampel's article Ruffling Religious Feathers, The Harvard Crimson, February 12, 2004.

Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... Semiotics (also spelled Semeiotics) is the study of signs and sign systems. ... This article is about the academic discipline of art history. ... Iconography usually refers to the design, creation, and interpretation of the symbolism within religious art. ...

Other References

• Article by Mathieu Deflem, 1991. “Ritual, Anti-Structure, and Religion: A Discussion of Victor Turner’s Processual Symbolic Analysis.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 30(1):1-25.