The Craft of Ritual Studies (Oxford Ritual Studies) - Softcover

Grimes, Ronald L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195301439 ISBN 13: 9780195301434

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2013

Synopsis

In religious studies, theory and method research has long been embroiled in a polarized debate over scientific versus theological perspectives. Ronald L. Grimes shows that this debate has stagnated, due in part to a manner of theorizing too far removed from the study of actual religious practices. A worthwhile theory, according to Grimes, must be practice-oriented, and practices are most effectively studied by field research methods.

The Craft of Ritual Studies melds together a systematic theory and method capable of underwriting the cross-cultural, interdisciplinary study of ritual. Grimes exposes the limitations that disable many theories of ritual--for example, defining ritual as essentially religious, assuming that ritual's only function is to generate group solidarity, or treating ritual as a mirror of the status quo. He provides a guide for fieldwork on complex ritual events, particularly those characterized by social conflict or cultural creativity. The volume includes a case study, focusing on a single complex event: the Santa Fe Fiesta, a New Mexico celebration marked by protracted ethnic conflict and ongoing dramatic creativity. Grimes develops such themes as the relation of ritual to media, theater, and film, the dynamics of ritual creativity, the negotiation of ritual criticism, and the impact of ritual on cultural and physical environments.

This important book, the capstone work of Grimes's three decades of leadership in the field of ritual studies, is accompanied by a set of online videos, as well as appendices illustrating key aspects of ritual studies.

About this title

About the Author

Ronald L. Grimes is co-editor of the Oxford Ritual Studies Series and the author of several books on ritual, most recently The Craft of Ritual Studies. Grimes resides in Waterloo, Ontario, where he is Director of Ritual Studies International and Professor Emeritus of Religion and Culture at Wilfrid Laurier University. Recently, he has held the following positions: Visiting Professor of Religious Studies at Charles University, Prague in the Czech Republic; Senior Researcher and Senior Lecturer at Yale University; Chair of Ritual Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

From the Back Cover

"To say that Ronald Grimes is a major figure is an understatement. His books-this the latest of them-are witness to his accomplishment as an original thinker. This book is a culminating effort that will invigorate the field." --Richard Schechner, Professor of Performance Studies, New York University

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195301439
• ISBN 13: 9780195301434
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432