Ritual: What It Is, How It Works, and Why

by Robbie Davis-Floyd, Charles D. Laughlin

Overview

Designed for both academic and lay audiences, this book identifies the characteristics of ritual and, via multiple examples, details how ritual works on the human body and brain to produce its often profound effects. These include enhancing courage, effecting healing, and generating group cohesion by enacting cultural—or individual—beliefs and values. It also shows what happens when ritual fails.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781800735309
Publisher:	Berghahn Books
Publication date:	09/13/2022
Pages:	366
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

Robbie Davis-Floyd is Adjunct Professor in the Dept. of Anthropology at Rice University, and Fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology. She is the author of many books including Ways of Knowing about Birth: Mothers, Midwives, Medicine, and Birth Activism (2018, Waveland).

Charles D. Laughlin is Emeritus Professor at Carleton Universityin Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His many books include Communing with the Gods: Consciousness, Culture and the Dreaming Brain (Daily Grail, 2011), which explores the anthropology of dreaming and recounts his experiences as a practitioner of Tibetan dream yoga.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Foreword
Betty Sue Flowers

Preface
Acknowledgments

Introduction: What is Ritual? Its Definition and Characteristics
Chapter 1. Symbolism in Ritual
Chapter 2. The Cognitive Matrix of Ritual: Belief Systems, Myths, and Paradigms
Chapter 3. Belief Systems, Myths, Paradigms, Rituals, and the Process of Truing
Chapter 4. Ritual Drivers: Generating and Controlling Stages of Consciousness
Chapter 5. Ritual Techniques and Technologies
Chapter 6. Ritual Framing, Order, and Formality: How Ritual Generates a Sense of Inevitability and Inviolability
Chapter 7. Ritual as Performance: Generating Emotion, Belief, and Transformation
Chapter 8. Ritual and the 4 Stages of Cognition
Chapter 9. Ritual's Paradoxical Roles: Preserving the Status Quo and Effecting Social Change
Chapter 10. Designing Rituals

Conclusion: Ritual: What It Is, How It Works, and Why

Appendix 1. How to Create and Perform an Effective Stage 4 Ritual: Things to Remember and Include
Appendix 2. List of Documentary Films about Ritual

References
Index

Editorial Reviews

“This book provides a fascinating introduction to ritual while offering innovative heuristics (e.g., ritual drivers, entrainment, symbolic penetration) to interpret how ritual effectively works…Highly Recommended.” • Choice

“This book is ultimately a fantastic resource for those who desire for an enriched, holistic understanding of ritual in society (both past and modern). Due to the book’s rich literature review and clear definition of ritual it would be ideal for any undergraduate classroom, non-academic interested in understanding ritual, and professional scholars.” • Anthropological Book Forum

“One could say that this is a "ritual omnibus"—a text that takes us on a journey into the different scales and dimensions of ritual, and ultimately encourages its readers to rethink their understandings both of ritual and of society.” • Ruy Blanes, University of Gothenburg

“This book is the go-to resource for anyone seeking a holistic, modern understanding of the human phenomenon of ritual. Robbie Davis-Floyd and Charles Laughlin not only assemble information and insights from a panoply of anthropologically known societies, but also enrich their discussion of ritual’s power from their own personal life experiences. The results are exciting and potentially lifechanging.” • Megan Biesele, President, Kalahari People's Fund

From the Publisher