The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft

Chapter 4: Ritual 

Chapter Summary

Multiple Choice Questions 

Which of the following most accurately defines a ritual?

A ritual that is enacted only when it is needed is referred to as a:

The Sabbath service observed at different times by Christian and Jewish communities is an example of which kind of ritual?

Tabu, kashrut, menstrual taboos, and other directions provided within the religious system are collectively referred to as:

Which of the following is not a technological ritual?

Case Studies 

Marriage is practiced across cultures, but the ways different societies celebrate this rite of passage may vary greatly. View the following websites and choose ten different marriage traditions that interest you. 

  • Summarize/explain the tradition and where it is practiced 
  • How is this ritual or practice different from one you know from your own culture? Does it also have things in common with a ritual you know? 
  • Why do you think there are so many different rituals surrounding marriage?  

https://www.insider.com/wedding-traditions-around-the-world-2018-4

https://khushmag.com/categories/features/features/15-unusual-wedding-traditions-from-across-the-world-/12195

https://www.theknot.com/content/favorite-wedding-traditions-from-around-the-world

Study Questions

Study Questions Chapter 4 – Ritual 

  1. What are the functions of ritual in our individual and collective lives? Why is ritual an important element across cultures? 
  1. What is an age set? In what age sets are you a member? Consider various institutions such as healthcare (paediatrics?), education, political/civic organizations (voting? driving?), religion.  
  1. Secular rituals are part of our daily lives. Describe your (ordinary) day based on rituals performed in your home, workplace, or school. 
  1. Consider your college experience as a rite of passage. Describe your experience (or projected experience) of the stages of this rite of passage—separation, transition, and incorporation. Which stage are you in now? 
  1. If possible, attend a public ceremony or ritual (e.g., ethnic dances, sporting events, religious services) and describe how people dress and behave. What ritual obligations do you observe? What is the purpose of this ceremony and what are the various roles that individuals have? 
  1. Disasters and human suffering often precipitate religious rituals. What types of tragedies do you think might generate religious rituals? What forms do these rituals take? What functions do they serve? 

Suggested Readings  

Davis-Floyd, Robbie and Charles Laughlin. The Power of Ritual (Daily Grail Publishing, 2016). Two anthropologists examine the effects of ritual on human belief and behavior and its impacts on multiple areas of human life. 

Powers, William K. Yuwipi. Vision and Experience in Oglala Ritual (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1982). Anthropologist Powers offers the first complete translation of a Lakota Yuwipi ritual based on his fieldwork and interviews with participants. 

Rappaport, Roy, A. Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1999). Anthropologist Rappaport examines the significance of ritual as an adaptive mechanism in human evolution.  

Thomlinson, Matt. Ritual Textuality: Pattern and Motion in Performance (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2014). In this long-term study of Pentecostal congregations on Fiji, Thomlinson examines the ideological power of religious ritual. 

Walker, James R. Lakota Belief and Ritual, edited by Raymond J. DeMallie and Elaine A. Jahner (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1980). Edited interviews conducted by Walker with Lakota holy men in Pine Ridge Reservation between 1896 and 1914, regarding the pipe ceremony, sweat lodge, and vision quest. 

Young, David E. and Jean-Guy Goulet, eds., Being Changed by Cross-Cultural Encounters. The Anthropology of Extraordinary Experience (Peterborough, Ontario, Canada: Broadview Press, 1994). Anthropologists describe spiritual encounters and extraordinary experiences while conducting fieldwork and attending rituals. 

Suggested Websites  

https://pluralism.org/ (essays on the changing religious landscape in today’s world) 

https://crcc.usc.edu/topic/religious-beliefs-and-rituals/ (experts from USC Center for Religion and Civil Culture discuss religion and ritual) 

www.oukosher.org (a website on the meaning of kosher and Jewish dietary obligations) 

https://halalfoundation.org/insights/what-is-halal/ (The Halal Foundation and Islamic dietary obligations) 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/hajj-umrah.html and https://www.hajinformation.com/ (official U.S and Saudi Arabia websites on the hajj pilgrimage) 

Suggested Video 

The History of Ideas: Rituals (The School of Life – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_xJpVlry14 – an examination of how modern societies have dropped rituals from our calendars in comparison to traditional societies 

Inside New Orleans’ Most Sacred Ritual – https://www.pbs.org/video/inside-black-new-orleans-most-sacred-ritual-f4flcn/ – discusses the Black Masking Indians and the Super Sunday Ritual during Mardi Gras 

First Civilizations ‖ Ritual ‖ Episode 2 – PBS – https://www.pbs.org/video/ritual-nvrzrj/ – anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas records the ritual of Sufis in Istanbul to see how the physical experience affects their bodies 

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