Curriculum Vitae - Katri Ratia
+41 76 2513897
Rue de la Samaritaine 22
1700 Fribourg
Switzerland
Position: 08/2017: Doctoral candidate, funded by the FNS.
Research interests: ritual studies, ritual creativity, holistic and alternative spiritualities, New Age, vernacular religion, Rainbow Gatherings.
Education:
09/2014: Started PhD studies at University of Fribourg, in Science of Religion. Preliminary title for the dissertation: Ritual Creativity in European Rainbow Gatherings.
04/2009: Master of Arts, University of Jyväskylä.
Major: Folklore studies.
Masters’ thesis: “Taikojen väkevät ainekset. Tutkielma väestä ja sen ilmenemisestä esineissä ja materiaaleissa vanhassa pohjois-suomalaisessa taikaperinteessä.” (Powerful ingredients of magic. A study of väki and its manifestation in objects and materials within old North-Finnish magic tradition.)
Summary: The primary material for the thesis is a large archived collection of North-Finnish magical incantations and ritual descriptions, and the focus is on the folk concept of magical power called väki. The main hypothesis is that väki has a wide but structured field of cultural meanings and connotations that can be roughly divided into five basic classes: a magical force, a personified spirit entity, a sickness or a bodily state, a location and a denominator linked to distinctive natural or cultural phenomena. The investigation into the ritual content reveals an inherent logical system of different dynamistic forces and their interaction, that forms an important part of the magico-religious ideological framework.
11/2008: Bachelor of Arts. University of Jyväskylä.
Major: Folklore studies.
Bachelors’ thesis: ”Tunnet sie tulen lummoi? Tutkimus sanamagiasta, tuliloitsuista ja tulen symboliikasta.” (Do you know the charms of fire? A Study of word magic, fire incantations and symbolism of fire.)
Summary: The Bachelor’s thesis investigates a small collection of archived folk magic based around the use and handling of fire, mainly in in domestic settings and slash-and-burn agriculture, and connected to healing burns and protection against fire damage. The focus of the study is on the use of magic words and incantations, especially through euphemisms and symbolic meanings. Fire is shown to have a wide network of symbolic meanings and cultural connotations linked to different aspects of human life.
Other research: “Ting-kokoontumiset” (Ting-meetings) A paper presented in the Undergraduate Seminar of Ethnology studies the spatial, temporal and social dimensions of Ting-meetings, which are temporary alternative intentional communities in the Nordic countries. The tradition has continued for over 35 years and is based on the ideals of alternative and holistic lifestyles and non-commercialism. The research is based on participant observation, interviews and a survey realized in the Ting-meetings.
The studies include also: basic, subject and advanced courses in ethnological theory and methodology, fieldwork, research materials and data, cultural anthropology, anthropology of religion, theory and methods in folklore studies and narration.
05/1997: Upper secondary school - Cygnaeus high school, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Academic work experience:
08/2016 – 03/2017: Research assistant with SCOPES-project at the department of Religious Science, University of Fribourg.
Language skills:
Finnish : primary language – excellent.
English : excellent.
Swedish : academic Swedish – good.
Spanish : good.
French : intermediate