ABSTRACT
This chapter delves into the semiotic study of meaning on a more fundamental level, so as to reconsider the inquiry domain and basic frame of the study, expose any potential deficiencies in contemporary studies and propose directions for possible future improvements in the study of festivals. It proposes an important judgement: meaning cannot exist independently. The chapter readdresses the semiotic perspective on the 'meaning of festivals' and explored both pragmatism and phenomenology as philosophical foundations underpinning this perspective. It suggests that researchers should pay more attention to exploring the theoretical foundation behind their chosen study methods or tools. The chapter also suggests that researchers should not ignore the various disagreements and contradictions that exist, nor should they casually deal with these disagreements and contradictions with an attitude of epistemological relativism.
