Hilary Sheppard - Communitas and I and Thou

Turner explains communitas as "A relational quality of full unmediated communication, even communion, between definite and determinate identities, which arises spontaneously in all kinda of groups, situations, and circumstances. " (Turner, 250). He also states that is is an "essential human bond" and the relationships created by communitas are I-Thou. This I and Thou relationship, which was introduced by Buber, refers to a relationship between subject and subject. While the I and It relationship is between subject and object. In I and Thou, people see each other as a living entity, rather than recognizing certain qualities of each other, they only view the whole. No meditated ideas and thoughts have an effect on the relationship because they only view each other as a whole entity. This relates to the idea that communitas is not meditated. The people who are a part of communitas do not sit down one day and say "Hm let's form a communitas between us!". As Turner explains, communitas happens spontaneously and the bond that the people form during communitas allows them to see each other as entire beings rather than made up of specific qualities, which would normally be noticed in communities.