Ritual

Perspectives and Dimensions

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Marriage & Family, Religion & Spirituality, Reference, Comparative Religion
Cover of the book Ritual by Catherine Bell, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Catherine Bell ISBN: 9780199889907
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: December 29, 2009
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Catherine Bell
ISBN: 9780199889907
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: December 29, 2009
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Making of Indian Diplomacy by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Grammar for Young Learners - Primary Resource Books for Teachers by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Treatment for Hoarding Disorder by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Identifying Neuroemergencies by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book John Adams by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Campaign Finance by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Martin Bucer's Doctrine of Justification by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book The Irving Berlin Reader by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Cardiac Development by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Quantum Enigma : Physics Encounters Consciousness by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Verdun by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Dawn of the DAW by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Hitchhiker's Guide to Internal Medicine by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Modernism, Postcolonialism, and Globalism by Catherine Bell
Cover of the book Yale Textbook of Public Psychiatry by Catherine Bell
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy