Ritual Perspectives and Dimensions--Revised

Over The Past Two Decades, Ritual Studies has emerged as a major player in modern religious discourse-due in large part to the canon of literature that Catherine Bell produced throughout her career. Bell's second book on ritual, already a classic in the field, Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions, offers a practical introduction to ritual and its study. A significant contribution to our understanding of this ubiquitous human phenomenon, this book considerably advances Bell's earlier and influential Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice.

Former Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, Santa Clara University

Cheories: The History of Interpretation	p. 1
Myth or Ritual: Questions of Origin and Essence	p. 3
Early Theories and Theorists	p. 3
The Myth and Ritual Schools	p. 5
The Phenomenology of Religions	p. 8
Psychoanalytic Approaches to Ritual	p. 12
Profile: Interpreting the Akitu Festival	p. 17
Conclusion	p. 20
Ritual and Society: Questions of Social Function and Structure	p. 23
Early Theories of Social Solidarity	p. 24
Functionalism	p. 27
Neofunctional Systems Analyses	p. 29
Structuralism	p. 33
Magic, Religion, and Science	p. 46
Profile: Interpreting the Mukanda Initiation	p. 52
Conclusion	p. 59
Ritual Symbols, Syntax, and Praxis: Questions of Cultural Meaning and Interpretation	p. 61
Symbolic Systems and Symbolic Action	p. 62
Linguistics	p. 68
Performance	p. 72
Practice	p. 76
Profile: Interpreting British and Swazi Enthronement Rites	p. 83
Conclusion	p. 88
Rites: The Spectrum of Ritual Activities	p. 91
Basic Genres of Ritual Action	p. 93
Rites of Passage	p. 94
Calendrical Rites	p. 102
Rites of Exchange and Communion	p. 108
Rites of Affliction	p. 115
Feasting, Fasting, and Festivals	p. 120
Political Rites	p. 128
Conclusion	p. 135
Characteristics of Ritual-like Activities	p. 138
Formalism	p. 139
Traditionalism	p. 145
Invariance	p. 150
Rule-Governance	p. 153
Sacral Symbolism	p. 155
Performance	p. 159
Conclusion	p. 164
Contexts: The Fabric of Ritual Life	p. 171
Ritual Density	p. 173
Systems	p. 173
Typologies	p. 177
Orthopraxy and Orthodoxy	p. 191
Traditional and Secular	p. 197
Oral and Literate	p. 202
Church, Sect, and Cult	p. 205
Conclusion	p. 209
Ritual Change	p. 210
Tradition and Transformation	p. 212
Ritual Invention	p. 223
Media and Message	p. 242
Conclusion	p. 251
Ritual Reification	p. 253
Repudiating, Returning, Romancing	p. 254
The Emergence of "Ritual,"	p. 259
Conclusion	p. 266
Notes	p. 269
References	p. 313
Index	p. 343
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Ritual Perspectives and Dimensions--Revised Edition

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Table of Contents

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