The Limits of Meaning

Too often, anthropological accounts of ritual leave readers with the impression that everything goes smoothly, that rituals are meaningful events. But what happens when rituals fail, or when they seem meaningless? Drawing on research in the anthropology of Christianity from around the globe, the authors in this volume suggest that in order to analyze meaning productively, we need to consider its limits. This collection is a welcome new addition to the anthropology of religion, offering fresh debates on a classic topic and drawing attention to meaning in a way that other volumes have for key terms like culture and fieldwork. Matthew Engelke is a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology, London School of Economics. He has conducted research in Zimbabwe and published numerous articles in leading journals, focusing on Christian ritual, conversion, spirit possession, and textual authority.

Matthew Engelke is a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology, London School of Economics. He has conducted research in Zimbabwe and published numerous articles in leading journals, focusing on Christian ritual, conversion, spirit possession, and textual authority. He is coeditor with Marshall Sahlins of Prickly Paradigm Press.

Matt Tomlinson is an assistant lecturer in Anthropology at Monash University. He has conducted research in Fiji on Christianity's role in village and national politics, especially in relation to traditional chiefly systems and coups d'Ttat. He has published in American Anthropologist, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, and Oceania.