The Archetypal Actions of Ritual
A Theory of Ritual Illustrated by the Jain Rite of Worship
Published on 22. September 1994
Book
Paperback/Softback
306 pages
978-0-19-827947-1 (ISBN)
Description
Religious rituals can provoke a deeply ambigious reaction in those who practise them. What happens in religious traditions when the nature of the ritual is questioned, but the practice of performing rituals is not itself abandoned? This book draws on the authors' observations of such reactions among Jains in western India, and asks why they can tell us about ritual as a universal mode of human action.
Most anthropologists have assumed that ritual is a special kind of happening, which requires a special kind of interpretation. The authors argue that 'ritual' is a quality which can in principle apply to any kind of action. The question they try to answer is: what is distinctive about actions which are ritualized? They reject the common view that ritual carries intrinsic meaning, and explore the apparent paradox that ritualization, which makes action in an important sense non-intentional, is itself the result of an intentional act - the adoption by the actor of what the authors call the 'ritual commitment'.
Most anthropologists have assumed that ritual is a special kind of happening, which requires a special kind of interpretation. The authors argue that 'ritual' is a quality which can in principle apply to any kind of action. The question they try to answer is: what is distinctive about actions which are ritualized? They reject the common view that ritual carries intrinsic meaning, and explore the apparent paradox that ritualization, which makes action in an important sense non-intentional, is itself the result of an intentional act - the adoption by the actor of what the authors call the 'ritual commitment'.
Reviews / Votes
Rich with original insights into Jain rituals. * Times Higher Education Supplement * For those interested in the theory of ritual and who would benefit from reading alongside detailed discussions of Jain ritual. * Religious Studies Review * Intelligent, erudite, well-written and interesting book ... contributes to anthropological theory at the level where it merges into philosophy ... The book's main thesis is so clearly and adequately laid out on p.5 that I must pay the somewhat two-edged compliment of saying that only specialists really need to read any further. * South Asia Research * The volume is stimulating and merits reflection ... it throws down the gauntlet to much anthropological discourse on ritual, not only by challenging its functional propensities but in taking history relatively seriously in groping for the paradigms and precedents for ritual acts. * Journal of Religion * It advances a comprehensive theory of ritual and delves into thorny philosophical issues ... Humphrey and Laidlaw present a detailed ethnography of the ritual of daily worship before a temple idol (puja) by Shvetambar Jains in western India ... this is an exceptionally fine book - certainly the most important work on ritual I have read in a decade. * History of Religions *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Oxford University Press
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
halftones, line figures
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
389 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-827947-1 (9780198279471)
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Schweitzer Classification