Text:

When engineers graduate from university in Canada, they go through a ritual where they recite a specific text/speech and then are given an iron (or stainless steel) ring. The speech is about responsibility and ethics as an engineer and the importance of professional commitment. This ritual is private and the only people who can witness it are ones who have already gone through it and have an iron ring.

Context:

The informant is from the United States but goes to the University of Toronto for engineering. Before telling me about this ritual, the informant laughed about how they were warned before going to Canada that engineering there is “kind of cult-y.” The informant told me that the iron rings are given to graduates because in the past, there was a bridge made of iron that collapsed and that the original rings were made of iron from the bridge. The rings and ceremony are meant to symbolize acceptance of responsibility and acts as a reminder of what happens when engineers are not mindful of safety and ethics. The informant told me that among the people they work with, the person who wears the ring the most often is the most recent graduate. They also told me that in general, some people where it all the time and some people only wear the ring as they sign important documents. The informant told me they were apprehensive about the iron ring ceremony at first because it felt a little weird and secretive. They are now excited to get the ring but they don’t tend to wear jewelry so they think they will only wear it for specific moments. They also told me that engineers now can choose between an iron or stainless steel ring (as iron degrades over time) and they will get the iron one because it the “right” one with historical significance. The informant also told me that their partner, who is from a family of Canadian engineers, is really excited to get their iron ring but they aren’t sure if he will wear it all the time or not.

Analysis:

This ritual acts as an initiation out of university and into the workplace. By speaking the ritualized words, it marks a transition in identity and the person is given an object to show their progress. Anyone else who sees this ring knows that this person has achieved a degree in engineering. The process is very secretive and no one else knows exactly what happens. This keeps the ritual sacred within the community as something that a person has to achieve and gain access to.

The story around the ring relating to the bridge is contested online. Some people believe that the original rings were from the bridge while other people say that is a myth and the original rings were made in a factory. The creation of the story fits into the narrative that surrounds the rings. They are objects that are meant to represent responsibility and creating them from the broken pieces of something that was made irresponsibly acts as an even stronger reminder. Even if the story is untrue, it deepens the connection between the ring and the meaning for the people in the community.

This ritual also creates a second ritual within it. Some people wear the ring only as the sign important documents in order to remind themselves of their responsibility as engineers. My informant said that they want the iron one specifically because it has more meaning than the stainless steel one. The material itself creates a deeper connection to history and the responsibility that it represents. It feels almost wrong to have a stainless steel one because it wouldn’t be accurate.

The informant was worried about the ceremony at first as someone from another country and outside the culture but as they lived in the culture for longer, they have gotten more excited for the ritual at the end. The ceremony might seem weird to outsiders, but to insiders, it is normalized and is something to look forward to. Even people, like the informant, who normally don’t wear jewelry would consider wearing this ring simply because of the tradition and meaning around it.