The Nature And Function Of Rituals

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The Nature and Function of Rituals

Author : Ruth-Inge Heinze
Publisher : Praeger
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis The Nature and Function of Rituals by : Ruth-Inge Heinze

Download or read book The Nature and Function of Rituals written by Ruth-Inge Heinze and published by Praeger. This book was released on 2000-01-30 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From time to time immemorial people have performed rituals out of a deep-rooted human need to come into the presence of the Divine. When a theophany is reenacted, harmony and balance, necessary for leading a satisfactory life, are restored to the individual participants and to the community as a whole. This collection of seventeen studies illuminates the power of ritual to facilitate life transitions and includes discussion of rituals associated with childbirth, adolescent initiation, wedding and funeral rites, and rituals used to resolve conflict and reinforce the solidarity of a community. The reader will observe how rituals resolve the tension between modernity and tradition, and will understand why rituals have not lost their power over the millennia.

Ritual: A Very Short Introduction

Author : Barry Stephenson
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199943583
Total Pages : 143 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (999 download)

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Book Synopsis Ritual: A Very Short Introduction by : Barry Stephenson

Download or read book Ritual: A Very Short Introduction written by Barry Stephenson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015-01-28 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ritual is part of what it means to be human. Like sports, music, and drama, ritual defines and enriches culture, putting those who practice it in touch with sources of value and meaning larger than themselves. Ritual is unavoidable, yet it holds a place in modern life that is decidedly ambiguous. What is ritual? What does it do? Is it useful? What are the various kinds of ritual? Is ritual tradition bound and conservative or innovative and transformational? Alongside description of a number of specific rites, this Very Short Introduction explores ritual from both theoretical and historical perspectives. Barry Stephenson focuses on the places where ritual touches everyday life: in politics and power; moments of transformation in the life cycle; as performance and embodiment. He also discusses the boundaries of ritual, and how and why certain behaviors have been studied as ritual while others have not. Stephenson shows how ritual is an important vehicle for group and identity formation; how it generates and transmits beliefs and values; how it can be used to exploit and oppress; and how it has served as a touchstone for thinking about cultural origins and historical change. Encompassing the breadth and depth of modern ritual studies, Barry Stephenson's Very Short Introduction also develops a narrative of ritual's place in social and cultural life. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Ritual and Its Consequences

Author : Adam B. Seligman
Publisher : OUP USA
ISBN 13 : 9780195336009
Total Pages : 247 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (36 download)

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Book Synopsis Ritual and Its Consequences by : Adam B. Seligman

Download or read book Ritual and Its Consequences written by Adam B. Seligman and published by OUP USA. This book was released on 2008-02-21 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on examples from many places and times, this work argues for the continuing tension across historical contexts between movements emphasizing ritual and movements emphasizing sincerity. It contends that our contemporary age has, at great risk, downplayed the importance of ritual.

The Ritual Animal

Author : Harvey Whitehouse
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192520970
Total Pages : 251 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (925 download)

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Book Synopsis The Ritual Animal by : Harvey Whitehouse

Download or read book The Ritual Animal written by Harvey Whitehouse and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-11-25 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A radical exploration of how rituals have influenced history over thousands of years. From infancy, we copy those around us in order to be like others, to be one with the tribe. Other primates will copy behaviour that leads to transparent benefits, such as access to food, but only humans promiscuously copy actions that have no obvious instrumental purpose. The copying of causally opaque behaviour (rituals) has allowed cultural groups to proliferate over time and space. The frequency and emotional intensity of ritual performances constrains the scale and structure of cultural groups. Rare, traumatic rituals (e.g. painful initiations) produce very strong social cohesion in small, relational groups such as military battalions or local cults whereas daily and weekly rituals (e.g. collective praying in mosques, churches, and synagogues) produce diffuse cohesion in indefinitely expandable communities. This pioneering study presents a theory of how these two 'ritual modes' have influenced the course of human history over many thousands of years and continue to shape the groups we live in today. The resulting programme of research offers a radically new paradigm for the social sciences, one that bridges across disciplinary silos, samples the full diversity of the world's populations, and plumbs our richest sources of information about cultural systems, past and present. In doing so, leading anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse shows how we can modify the way we tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our day, from violent extremism to global heating. All the problems humanity creates are ultimately problems of cooperation. Solving these problems will require social glue. Whitehouse suggests various practical ways in which our growing knowledge about the role of ritual in group bonding can help us achieve a more peaceful and prosperous future, not only for ourselves but for all species who share the planet with us.

African Religions

Author : Jacob K. Olupona
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199790582
Total Pages : 177 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis African Religions by : Jacob K. Olupona

Download or read book African Religions written by Jacob K. Olupona and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book connects traditional religions to the thriving religious activity in Africa today.

Myth

Author : Robert Alan Segal
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0198724705
Total Pages : 161 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (987 download)

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Book Synopsis Myth by : Robert Alan Segal

Download or read book Myth written by Robert Alan Segal and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where do myths come from? What is their function and what do they mean? In this Very Short Introduction Robert Segal introduces the array of approaches used to understand the study of myth. These approaches hail from disciplines as varied as anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary criticism, philosophy, science, and religious studies. Including ideas from theorists as varied as Sigmund Freud, Claude Levi-Strauss, Albert Camus, and Roland Barthes, Segal uses the famous ancient myth of Adonis to analyse their individual approaches and theories. In this new edition, he not only considers the future study of myth, but also considers the interactions of myth theory with cognitive science, the implications of the myth of Gaia, and the differences between story-telling and myth. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Sacrifice

Author : Henri Hubert
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226356795
Total Pages : 175 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (263 download)

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Book Synopsis Sacrifice by : Henri Hubert

Download or read book Sacrifice written by Henri Hubert and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1981-12-15 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marcel Mauss was the nephew and most distinguished pupil of mile Durkheim, whose review L'Ann e sociologique he helped to found and edit. Henri Hubert was another member of the group of sociologists who developed under the influence of Durkheim. The present book is one of the best-known essays pulbished in L'Ann e sociologique and has been regarded as a model for method and mode of interpretation. Its subject is at the very center of the comparative study of religion. The authors describe a basic sacrifice drawn from Indian sources and show what is fundamental and constant, comparing Indian and Hebrew practices in particular, then Greek and Roman, then additional practices from many eras and cultures.

Religion, Theory, Critique

Author : Richard King
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231518242
Total Pages : 558 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion, Theory, Critique by : Richard King

Download or read book Religion, Theory, Critique written by Richard King and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2017-07-18 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion, Theory, Critique is an essential tool for learning about theory and method in the study of religion. Leading experts engage with contemporary and classical theories as well as non-Western cultural contexts. Unlike other collections, this anthology emphasizes the dynamic relationship between "religion" as an object of study and different methodological approaches and openly addresses the question of the manifold ways in which "religion," "secular," and "culture" are imagined within different disciplinary horizons. This volume is the first textbook which seeks to engage discussion of classical approaches with contemporary cultural and critical theories. Contributors write on the influence of the natural sciences in the study of religion; the role of European Christianity in modeling theories of religion; religious experience and the interface with cognitive science; the structure and function of religious language; the social-scientific study of religion; ritual in religion; the phenomenology of religion; critical theory and religion; embodiment and religion; the impact of colonialism and modernity; theorizing religion in terms of race and ethnicity; links among religion, nationalism, and globalization; the interplay of gender, sex, and religion; and religion and the environment. Each chapter introduces the topic, identifies key theorists and issues, and respects the pluralistic nature of the scholarship in the field. Altogether, this collection scrutinizes the explicit and implicit assumptions theorists make about religion as an object of analysis.

Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice

Author : Catherine Bell
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780199760381
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (63 download)

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Book Synopsis Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice by : Catherine Bell

Download or read book Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice written by Catherine Bell and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1992-01-30 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ritual studies today figures as a central element of religious discourse for many scholars around the world. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice, Catherine Bell's sweeping and seminal work on the subject, helped legitimize the field. In this volume, Bell re-examines the issues, methods, and ramifications of our interest in ritual by concentrating on anthropology, sociology, and the history of religions. Now with a new foreword by Diane Jonte-Pace, Bell's work is a must-read for understanding the evolution of the field of ritual studies and its current state.

Death and Changing Rituals

Author : J. Rasmus Brandt
Publisher : Oxbow Books
ISBN 13 : 1782976396
Total Pages : 481 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (829 download)

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Book Synopsis Death and Changing Rituals by : J. Rasmus Brandt

Download or read book Death and Changing Rituals written by J. Rasmus Brandt and published by Oxbow Books. This book was released on 2014-07-31 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The forms by which a deceased person may be brought to rest are as many as there are causes of death. In most societies the disposal of the corpse is accompanied by some form of celebration or ritual which may range from a simple act of deportment in solitude to the engagement of large masses of people in laborious and creative festivities. In a funerary context the term ritual may be taken to represent a process that incorporates all the actions performed and thoughts expressed in connection with a dying and dead person, from the preparatory pre-death stages to the final deposition of the corpse and the post-mortem stages of grief and commemoration. The contributions presented here are focused not on the examination of different funerary practices, their function and meaning, but on the changes of such rituals _ how and when they occurred and how they may be explained. Based on case studies from a range of geographical regions and from different prehistoric and historical periods, a range of key themes are examined concerning belief and ritual, body and deposition, place, performance and commemoration, exploring a complex web of practices.

Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

Author : Marc D. Gellman
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781461464396
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (643 download)

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Book Synopsis Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine by : Marc D. Gellman

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine written by Marc D. Gellman and published by . This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity

Author : Roy A. Rappaport
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521296908
Total Pages : 566 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (969 download)

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Book Synopsis Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity by : Roy A. Rappaport

Download or read book Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity written by Roy A. Rappaport and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1999-03-25 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roy Rappaport argues that religion is central to the continuing evolution of life, although it has been been displaced from its original position of intellectual authority by the rise of modern science. His book, which could be construed as in some degree religious as well as about religion, insists that religion can and must be reconciled with science. Combining adaptive and cognitive approaches to the study of humankind, he mounts a comprehensive analysis of religion's evolutionary significance, seeing it as co-extensive with the invention of language and hence of culture as we know it. At the same time he assembles the fullest study yet of religion's main component, ritual, which constructs the conceptions which we take to be religious and has been central in the making of humanity's adaptation. The text amounts to a manual for effective ritual, illustrated by examples drawn from anthropology, history, philosophy, comparative religion, and elsewhere.

Ritual and Communication in the Graeco-Roman World

Author : Eftychia Stavrianopoulou
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 350 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (595 download)

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Book Synopsis Ritual and Communication in the Graeco-Roman World by : Eftychia Stavrianopoulou

Download or read book Ritual and Communication in the Graeco-Roman World written by Eftychia Stavrianopoulou and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Klassisches Altertum - Ritual - Kult - Gesellschaft.

Ritual

Author : Catherine Bell
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199739471
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis Ritual by : Catherine Bell

Download or read book Ritual written by Catherine Bell and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-12-29 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From handshakes and toasts to chant and genuflection, ritual pervades our social interactions and religious practices. Still, few of us could identify all of our daily and festal ritual behaviors, much less explain them to an outsider. Similarly, because of the variety of activities that qualify as ritual and their many contradictory yet, in many ways, equally legitimate interpretations, ritual seems to elude any systematic historical and comparative scrutiny. In this book, Catherine Bell offers a practical introduction to ritual practice and its study; she surveys the most influential theories of religion and ritual, the major categories of ritual activity, and the key debates that have shaped our understanding of ritualism. Bell refuses to nail down ritual with any one definition or understanding. Instead, her purpose is to reveal how definitions emerge and evolve and to help us become more familiar with the interplay of tradition, exigency, and self-expression that goes into constructing this complex social medium.

Gods, Objects, and Ritual Practice

Author : Sandra Blakely
Publisher : Lockwood Press
ISBN 13 : 1937040801
Total Pages : 371 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (37 download)

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Book Synopsis Gods, Objects, and Ritual Practice by : Sandra Blakely

Download or read book Gods, Objects, and Ritual Practice written by Sandra Blakely and published by Lockwood Press. This book was released on 2017-07-01 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conversations about materiality have helped forge a common meeting ground for scholars seeking to integrate images, sites, texts and implements in their approach to religion in the ancient Mediterranean. The thirteen chapters in this volume explore the productivity of these approaches, with case studies from Israel, Athens, Rome, Sicily and North Africa. The results foreground the capacity of material approaches to cast light on the cultural creation of the sacred through the integration of rhetorical, material, and iconographic means. They open more nuanced pathways to the uses of text in the study of material evidence. They highlight the potential for material objects to bring political and ethnic boundaries into the sacred realm. And they emphasize the role of ongoing interpretation, debate, and multiple readings in the creation of the sacred, in both ancient contexts and scholarly discussion.

The Nature and Function of Water, Baths, Bathing and Hygiene from Antiquity through the Renaissance

Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9047427033
Total Pages : 546 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (474 download)

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Book Synopsis The Nature and Function of Water, Baths, Bathing and Hygiene from Antiquity through the Renaissance by :

Download or read book The Nature and Function of Water, Baths, Bathing and Hygiene from Antiquity through the Renaissance written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2009-03-25 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These essays offer scholars, teachers, and students a new basis for discussing attitudes toward, and technological expertise concerning, water in antiquity through the early Modern period, and they examine historical water use and ideology both diachronically and cross regionally. Topics include gender roles and water usage; attitudes, practices, and innovations in baths and bathing; water and the formation of identity and policy; ancient and medieval water sources and resources; and religious and literary water imagery. The authors describe how ideas about the nature and function of water created and shaped social relationships, and how religion, politics, and science transformed, and were themselves transformed by, the manipulation of, uses of, and disputes over water in daily life, ceremonies, and literature. Contributors are Rabun Taylor, Sandra Lucore, Robert F. Sutton, Jr., Cynthia K Kosso, Kevin Lawton, Evy Johanne Håland, Hélène Cazes, Alexandra Cuffel, Mark Munn, Brenda Longfellow, Gretchen Meyers, Sara Saba, Scott John McDonough, Etienne Dunant, E. J. Owens , Mehmet Taşlıalan, Deborah Chatr Aryamontri, John Stephenson, Lin A. Ferrand, Paul Trio, Anne Scott, Misty Rae Urban, Ruth Stevenson, Charles Connell, Alyce Jordan, Ronald Cooley, and Irene Matthews.

Ritual, Performance and the Senses

Author : Jon P. Mitchell
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 0857854968
Total Pages : 294 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (578 download)

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Book Synopsis Ritual, Performance and the Senses by : Jon P. Mitchell

Download or read book Ritual, Performance and the Senses written by Jon P. Mitchell and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2015-02-26 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ritual has long been a central concept in anthropological theories of religious transmission. Ritual, Performance and the Senses offers a new understanding of how ritual enables religious representations – ideas, beliefs, values – to be shared among participants. Focusing on the body and the experiential nature of ritual, the book brings together insights from three distinct areas of study: cognitive/neuroanthropology, performance studies and the anthropology of the senses. Eight chapters by scholars from each of these sub-disciplines investigate different aspects of embodied religious practice, ranging from philosophical discussions of belief to explorations of the biological processes taking place in the brain itself. Case studies range from miracles and visionary activity in Catholic Malta to meditative practices in theatrical performance and include three pilgrimage sites: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the festival of Ramlila in Ramnagar, India and the mountain shrine of the Lord of the Shiny Snow in Andean Peru. Understanding ritual allows us to understand processes at the very centre of human social life and humanity itself, making this an invaluable text for students and scholars in anthropology, cognitive science, performance studies and religious studies.