"THE RITES OF PASSAGE" BY ARNOLD VAN GENNEP, HIS THEORY AND METHOD
The author of this article presents the history of the term “rites of passage”, its use and development in works of the next generation of scientists-anthropologists in Europe and the United States. The term was proposed by the famous ethnographer, scrupulous collector of folklore Arnold van Gennep for designation of a number of rituals, in which structure he revealed common features. The author points to features of methodological approaches of Arnold van Gennep and his contemporaries, and analyzes his contribution to development of anthropological thought, the way his heritage was assimilated and reinterpreted.