Foundations in Ritual Studies (Paperback)

Paperback. The new field of ritual studies applies anthropological methodology to the study of religious actions. The first collection of its kind, Foundations in Ritual Studies offers students of Christian liturgy fresh insights from specialists in anthropology, religious studies, and Christian liturgy. The list of contributors includes Romano Guardini, Mark Seale, John Witvliet, Mary Douglas, Victor Turner, Nathan Mitchell, Ronald Grimes, Catherine Bell, Margaret Mary Kelleher, and Herbert Fingarette. This one-volume collection makes their landmark contributions available to professors, graduate students, theologians, and biblical scholars. The study of liturgy used to mean studying what Christians did in the past and how worship traditions developed over the centuries. The focus was especially on liturgical texts. Now the spotlight is on liturgical actions—what people do in worship, how they do it, and what their actions mean. And a comparative dimension is added: no longer looking only at the Christian past, scholars now look at the global present and compare what Christians say and do in worship with analogous actions in various religious and cultural settings. New perspectives require new methods. Enter ritual studies, a discipline built on methods and insights developed by anthropologists. "Foundations in Ritual Studies" offers an anthropological and theological approach to the study of Christian liturgy, providing key essays for an orientation to this fruitful new approach. Contributors Romano Guardini, Mark Searle, and John D. Witvliet on the application of ritual studies to Christian liturgies Mary Douglas and Victor Turner on the anthropological basis for ritual studies Nathan D. Mitchell, Ronald L. Grimes, and Catherine Bell on ritual Margaret Mary Kelleher on liturgical theology This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…