Rites of passage were first described by anthropologist Arnold van Gennep (1960) as a way of accepting the many rituals and rites observed in conventional cultures and their meaning for the dynamics of both individual and group life within the culture. He identified sets of habitual behaviors that accompanied changes in location, status, social position, and age. This included common life events such as childbirth, puberty, marriage, and death (Lundberg, 2016). A rite of passage can be further divided into three phases; These stages include the pre-liminal stage which is linked to separation from an initiate's previous life, the liminal stage where initiates are separated from society and must undergo various rituals, before reaching the post-liminal stage which is linked to their new status or state of life (Lundberg, 2016). This essay will focus on the social position aspect of Van Gennep's definition, as rites of passage are essential to transforming an "outsider" into an "insider" (Raybeck, 1996); and analyzes rites of passage and studies examples of ethnographer Douglas Raybeck's rites of passage and women in Kelantanese culture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the pre-liminal stage, there are symbolic behaviors to indicate an individual's detachment from his current social structure and his previous social status (Froggatt, 1997). This may include a change of dress, a change in geological area, or a ritual cleansing. The liminal phase is a transitional phase of mediation between the initial status and the new status achieved at the end of the ritual (Kunin, 2002, p. 208). It is a threshold or boundary as well as a 'space' in its own right, such as the time and place where the people participating in the ritual are cut off from the larger structure of society and placed in brief and negligible positions. It is often described as an ambiguous state since the individual is no longer in his previous state nor in the new state and, as Leach suggests: “temporarily becomes an abnormal person existing in an abnormal time” (1976, p.77, as cited in Froggatt 1997). It is often a time when initiates are taught those things that will be necessary to function in their new social position. Finally, it is during the post-liminal phase that the individual returns to his social context and acquires new rights and commitments. The ritual concludes with the individual's performance of some ritual act that reflects his new status, thus showing the community that he is ready to embrace his new position and the responsibilities that come with it. A common feature across all stages is that transformation is a key element in shaping the individual as they go through these rites of passage. A typical example to demonstrate the concept of “rites of passage is a Jewish wedding. First, in a Jewish wedding it is traditional for the bride and groom to remain separated for the week before the wedding. There are several rituals such as Torah reading and ritual bathing that should be performed by the groom and bride during the week. It would therefore be the pre-liminal phase in the rites of passage. Furthermore, the liminal phase occurs during the wedding ceremony when the status of both the groom and the bride changes from single to married. Finally, the post-liminal phase occurs when the groom and bride are incorporated into society with new identities as a married couple. At the beginning of Raybeck's fieldwork in Kelatan, although he did some minor preparation such as learning the language and culture in hopes of understanding the new culture beforeActual field work, proved to be of little help as Raybeck and his wife Karen still experienced multiple culture shocks during their first few weeks (Raybeck, 1996, p. 21). After much discussion, they decided to stay in Wakaf Bahru village where most of his fieldwork was conducted. Because he was not one of the people, the villagers generally viewed Raybeck through hostile lenses and treated him as an outsider. This represented the pre-liminal phase in which he left his initial society and immersed himself in a new culture. The liminal phase began when Raybeck participated in village guard duty, "jaga", which allowed him to gradually integrate into society. Through this new role, Rayback began gathering information and thought he had gained access to the inner workings of the village. However, he found that everyone was giving him the same information; a picture of village life as the villagers wanted him to see (Raybeck, 1996). Raybeck (1996) noted, “I realized that I did not yet have enough confidence to be made aware of the sensitive and sometimes less than ideal social life of the village” (pp. 63–64). This situation where Raybeck has changed the villagers' view of him but has not yet gained enough of their trust to talk about the internal affairs of the village, perfectly represented the process within the liminal phase; the individual is neither in his initial state nor in his new state. However, after being on the patrol team for some time, Raybeck developed close friendships with the other males, especially Mat and Yusof. Yusof conveyed friendliness by starting to hold Raybeck's hand. This act symbolized warmth and greater friendship between the two (Raybeck, 1996, p. 65). Raybeck was also taken to a bar by Yusof and Mat for a drink against their religion. The act implied that Mat and Yusof trusted Raybeck as they had shared their wrongdoings (Raybeck, 1996, p. 67). As a result, Raybeck was able to wonder about village issues that had initially been kept from him, and thus, he was able to use the knowledge of these insiders to gain more information from other villagers. Knowing that Raybeck did not share or exploit the knowledge he was given, the villagers began to trust him and were more willing to share sensitive information with him. Additionally, he and Karen adopted Malay names and wore traditional Malay Kelantanese costumes to better assimilate into the culture. He had also given up alcohol and pork consumption in the village as it was considered a sin in Islam. Through his efforts to learn appropriate social behaviors and participate in village events, Raybeck had completed his post-liminal phase by transforming from stranger to fellow villager; from an outsider to an insider. This was a big change for Raybeck; Lundberg (2016) stated that all major periods of life change involve rituals. Therefore, it includes people of the Kelantanese culture. Women in Kelantanese culture also underwent a rite of passage as they transformed from adolescents to adults. In the pre-liminal stage, which begins in their youth, Kelantanese women are removed from the world of men and are expected to stay at home to assist with domestic tasks and to learn the skills needed to contribute to society. Therefore, their involvement in village matters is rare as they were concerned with domestic duties and preparation for married life (Raybeck, 1996, p. 181). As women.