Ritual Criticism Case Studies in Its Practice, Essays on Its Theory

by Ronald L. Grimes

This book takes an interdisciplinary approach to a topic seldom written the evaluation of rites. Enacting ritual and thinking critically are often imagined as mutually exclusive activities, but Ritual Criticism demonstrates their complementarity by presenting case studies in which ritual and criticism require one another. The cases are drawn from contemporary, urban, North American social contexts in which specific rites are undergoing evaluation, interpretation, or revision. The cases eventuate in essays, more theoretical treatments of critical issues in ritual studies. The rituals studied are as varied as the strategies utilized. The diversity of approaches illustrates the ways criticism shifts as types of ritual vary. One rite is a traditional liturgy; another is invented rather than traditional; a third is a hybrid ritual drama; and in a fourth instance the ritualization is so tacit that some would deny that it is ritual at all. Many of the contexts that provide data for the chapters are typified by syncretism, the eclectic mixing and matching of ritual elements from diverse traditions. Other examples involve attempts to engage in ritual invention and experimentation. The essays are likewise diverse, taking readers into territories traditionally the purview of several disciplines. Drama, literature, education, psychology, medicine, archaeology, anthropology, philosophy, and theology are traversed in this effort to understand ritual, an unusually complex genre of human activity.

Hardcover

First published October 4, 2010

About the author

Ron Grimes is a Professor Emeritus in Religion and Culture at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Reviews

[Mandy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title sounds very academic and dry but it's actually quite practical and interesting. It looks at the place of ritual in many different settings, from religious to daily life and raises interesting questions about the importance of the ways we move/act and what they communicate to ourselves and others. Helpful in planning church services, that's for sure!