Ritual as Action and Symbolic Expression

Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 1997

Theorizing Rituals: Vol I: Issues, Topics, Approaches, Concepts, edited by Jens Kreinath, Jan Snoek and Michael Stausberg, xiii–xxv. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2006

It is unclear when rituals first originated. Some assume that ritual, like dance, music, symbolism, and language, arose in the course of the evolution of primates into man, 1 or even prior to it. 2 Thus rituals may also have facilitated, or even stimulated, processes of adaptation. Be that as it may, biologists and behavioral scientists argue that there are rituals among animals, and this has important implications for our understanding of rituals. 3 Unlike animal rituals, however, sometime in the course of the evolution of (human) ritual, and in specific cultural settings, rituals have partly become the business of experts (priests). These ritual specialists, it can safely be assumed, often not only developed a ritual competence in the sense of performative skills but also began to study the rituals of their own tradition. Hence, one may assume that within this process of specialization, social differentiation, and professionalization, 4 indigenous forms of the study of rituals evolved. In contrast to the modern, mainly Western academic study of rituals, these indigenous forms of ritual studies can be referred to as 'ritualistics'. 5 * A first draft of this introduction was written by Michael Stausberg. It was then jointly revised and elaborated upon by the editors of this volume. We wish to thank Ingvild S. Gilhus (Bergen) and Donald Wiebe (Toronto) for helpful comments on a previous draft. 1 See also Bellah 2003. (Here, as throughout the volume, works listed in the annotated bibliography are referred to by author and year only. Those items not listed in the bibliography will be provided with full references in the notes.) 2 Staal 1989, 111 states: "Ritual, after all, is much older than language." See also Burkert 1972. 3 See Baudy in this volume. 4 See Gladigow 2004. 5 See Stausberg 2003. Although a small group of us began using the term at American Academy of Religion meetings, today it has wide currency in a large number of disciplines" (p. 1). See also Grimes 1982 and his bibliography, Research in Ritual Studies (Grimes 1985). In terms of the establishment of a new field of research, see also his article on ritual studies in the Encyclopedia of Religion from 1987. 8 See, e.g., Grimes 1990; Bell 1997. 9 Over the last five years, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council) funded two large-scale research programs on rituals: Kulturen des Performativen (Sonderforschungsbereich 447 [http://www.sfb-performativ.de] since 1999) and Ritualdynamik (Sonderforschungsbereich 619 [http://www.ritualdynamik.uni-hd.de] since 2002). Some contributors to the current volume are members of the former (Christoph Wulf) or the latter (Dietrich Harth, Axel Michaels, William S. Sax, and Jan A.M. Snoek). 10 The editors themselves were members of a junior research group, Ritualistik

2008

Can a theory be extrapolated based solely on a single ethnographic study? Can the examination of a single form of ritual suffice to create a blanket research method which is applicable to all forms of ritual? Is meaning merely a construct which participants lull themselves into believing that ritual possesses? And does intentionality have an effect on the consideration of meaning within ritual? I will attempt to elucidate several aspects of the responses to these questions within the context of James Laidlaw and Caroline Humphrey’s work, The Archetypal Actions of Ritual. I will also comment upon and demonstrate the difficulties inherent in the creation of the authors’ model of ritual theory.

2001

The study tries to explain a clear understanding of rituals, religion and secular practices in society. It begins by stating the meaning of Ritual, Religion, and Secular; Ritual Too often, the word "ritual" is abused because a ritual considers that it does not rely on the repetition of action but also needs other factors. The definitions provided by anthropologists of the word "rite" are often very contrasting. The rite has the prerogative of being plastic and adapting to social change, and for this reason, every author has a distinct definition. The concept of ritual, if it was only part of the primitive and exotic societies that are now part of the contemporary world, rites are part of the communities because they need a lot of symbolization.The term "rite" comes from the Latin word ‘ritus’ that mean ritual. It is from this that many anthropologists have developed different definitions.

Introduction: Ritual is an integral part of human life. Marriage rituals, Birth Rituals, other religious, and also other social, and national define and enrich a society's culture. Ritual is a social act in which the participants re-enact their relationship to sacred objects and beliefs according to Malefijt (1968). Ritual reflect on human nature, sociality, and culture. However, in every there are various rituals in Hinduism which enrich its culture. For example, wedding rituals, birth rituals, pregnancy rituals, various worship (puja), mediation etc. During wedding, Hindu people practice the rituals such as engagement, bou baaran, Ashirbad (blessing) etc. On the other hand, after dying a person, Hindus practice very different rituals than other religions such as washing body with honey, ghee, milk etc. Putting a lamp near the head or sprinkling water on the body. Besides, other rituals such as yoga, Yajna, Japa, etc. are very important rituals that are practiced in Hinduism. Definition of Ritual: A ritual is a formalized mode of behavior in which the members of a group or community regularly engage. It is the core of religion, fixed and sacred, obligatory and meritorious. "Rituals are designed both to express belief and to bring about specific ends. This ritual behavior is motivated by the desire to gain some form of satisfaction and is to expect to be effective" (Melefijt; 1968; 189). People in every society all over the world celebrate rituals. They believe in a specific myth. Then they practice various rituals centered on this myth. Ritual is instrumental, and the performance of ritual is predicted on the belief that it is efficacious in achieving a certain end. However, religion represents one of the main contexts in which rituals are practiced though the scope of ritual behavior extends well beyond religion. So there is a relationship among myth, beliefs and religion. Myth and ritual are essentially expressive and symbolic in character. Myth are actually not mere folk's tales, but symbolic statements about social reality and human existence. On the other hand, actions of ritual tend to be considered a symbolic pursuit of a desired result. People believe in rituals that these will help to prevent worse things. So they practice rituals. They actually practice rituals because of health, fertility, and general welfare and social solidarity. So, finally we can say according to Melefijt that, "Ritual is a social act in which the participants re-enact their relationship to sacred objects and beliefs. Both ritual and myth are thus not only founded in dogma, but they make sacred beliefs intelligible by rendering them in terms of human action and human language" (Melefijt; 1968; 195). Categories of Rituals: There are many rituals in every society. It is not possible to categorize all the rituals of the world (religious rituals or others rituals). Yet we can categorize the rituals into two ways based on different social implications. 1. Period: A ritual that is performed on a regular basis as part of a religious calendar. It is also called calendrical ritual. "Period ritual tend have to communal action. They serve to mark the start of agricultural cycle, the end of the harvest, the founding of the community, and so on" (Melefijt; 1968). This ritual is regular and fixed. 2. Non-periodic: A ritual that is performed when a particular need arises. This ritual is also known as occasional ritual. "This ritual are most often associated with critical events in the life of an individual.

BRILL eBooks, 2024

This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 license. Introduction: Ritual Creativity This book brings together leading international scholars of religion from a variety of disciplines with the aim of casting light on the topic of ritual studies within contemporary studies of religion. The contemporary studies of religion consist of an array of interconnected fields and the present volume explores the role played by rituals in the following emergent areas: new spiritualities and ecology, religion and embodiment, and indigenous religions. In addition, the volume offers a selection of regional perspectives on ritual studies from African Christianity and Islam which includes contemporary negotiations of identity and coloniality. The collected volume offers a combination of significant theoretical and methodological discussions as well as previously understudied topics in the contemporary studies of religion. The book addresses readers from a wide range of disciplines. It will be of interest to and relevance for both students and researchers within the larger fields of ritual and religious studies, as well as anthropology and environmental humanities. The volume is not only a broad exploration of the importance of ritual in the contemporary studies of religion but also a way to honour a fellow scholar whose academic pursuits during her thirty-year career illustrate the interconnectedness and value of cross-pollination between several disciplines. The work of Professor Anne-Christine Hornborg embodies the innovative and fruitful ways in which ritual perspectives can be applied to a broader context within the contemporary study of religions. In 2001 Professor Hornborg published the well-received study A Landscape of Left-Overs (2001) based on fieldwork among Nova Scotia's first nation Mi'kmaq. Since then, Professor Hornborg has published many important contributions in ritual studies based on her other fieldwork in locations such as Tonga and Peru. These insights have been disseminated in a number of ways within the study of contemporary religion, demonstrating the persistence of ritual and religion in our own secular and consumerist societies. The chapters in the present volume are all inspired by the work of Professor Hornborg, in particular, the methodological and theoretical contributions she has offered throughout her long career. Some chapters revisit the contexts in which Professor Hornborg carried out long periods of fieldwork. This book takes as its point of departure the great potential which we, the editors and contributors, believe is found in interdisciplinary approaches, and to which Professor Hornborg's career is a testament. Professor Hornborg's contributions to the study of rituals showcases the importance of ritual perspectives-9789004692206 Downloaded from Brill.

e-rhizome, 2023

In this article, the author responds to review articles dedicated to the book "Ritual. How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living," published in 2022.

Rever: Revista de Estudos da Religião 5:100–107, 2005

This essay looks at recent theory of ritual. It argues that an overemphasis on texts in the study of religion has led to a misleading analysis of ritual as a symbolic site of meaning. On the other hand, attempts to study ritual on its own terms, primarily by attending to formal elements, suggest that the study of ritual is separable from the study of religion. At the same time, this work promises to give ritual studies a more central role in the study of religion.