Ritual in Its Own Right - by Don Handelman & Galina Lindquist (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Historically, canonic studies of ritual have discussed and explained ritual organization, action, and transformation primarily as representations of broader cultural and social orders. In the present, as in the past, less attention is given to the power of ritual to organize and effect transformation through its own dynamics. Breaking with convention, the contributors to this volume were asked to discuss ritual first and foremost in relation to itself, in its own right, and only then in relation to its socio-cultural context. The results attest to the variable capacities of rites to effect transformation through themselves, and to the study of phenomena in their own right as a fertile approach to comprehending ritual dynamics.

Review Quotes

"[The authors'] perspective is a lucid voice, original and challenging, that talks about rituals as phenomenon on their own accord, worthy of analysis and explanation as cultural units of practice whose internal logic may be independent of and disconnected from other cultural logics, and even from those surrounding them. Indeed, this is a strong claim." - Israeli Sociology

"[This] is not a loose collection of articles, but one focused on theoretical possibilities to examine the phenomenon of the ritual in isolation. Nearly all contributions are marked by the tension between autonomy and interdependence of rituals. They show the importance of paying attention to the inner structure and dynamics of ritual processes but also the need of ethnographic and theoretical contextualization." - Zeitschrift für Ethnologie

"...[presents] stimulating and fertile reflections [that] offer a valuable contribution to debates and questions that preoccupy anthropologists of rituals today." - Social Anthropology

"This edited volume, full of new and original perspectives, makes an important contribution to the anthropological and historical study of ritual...this fine collection of essays is a challenging and provocative contribution to the study of ritual, and certainly one that ought to change the ways in which anthropologists conceive of ritual." - Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

"The multiplicity of case studies not only represents a variety of ritual forms, but also testifies to their complexity... the book [is] original and inspiring. No doubt, it constitutes an important contribution to the study of ritual." - Anthropos

"...this is an exciting book. The primary thesis around which it is built is novel and thought provoking, and the papers are generally stimulating and have very high quality. Anyone interested in ritual should certainly read it." - Journal of Anthropological Research