Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions

The purpose of my purchasing the book in the first instance was to use it to prepare my Statement of Purpose for my PhD application. Apart from the fact that the book served this purpose, it also came the way the seller described the product. I think I am very satisfied with the book. Thanks . Enoch

Catherine Bell is certainly one of the preeminent scholars of ritual studies. This book is a fantastic demonstration of why that is the case. It's a tour de force of scholarship and quite a tour of the vast territory covered by the term "ritual" as well. Ritual is one of those words (like "religion" itself) that we all think we can define easily until we're actually asked to do it. Bell gets around the problem of slippery and ethnocentric definitions of ritual by encompassing a wide range of activities she calls "ritualization." This strategic shift from noun to verb brings ritual out of the dusty display cabinet of pinned-down "things" and into the dynamic and contested realm of ongoing human activity. She sees the doing of "ritual" and "ritual-like" activities as well as the interpretation of those activities as acts of ritualization. A bit post-modern? Yes. If this discursive approach to understanding human behavior turns you off, then this isn't the book for you. If you're looking for a sweeping introduction to the field of ritual studies from a scholar at the top of her game who has an impressive command of work in that field and in many related ones besides, then this is a tasty treat indeed.

I beg to disagree with the other reviewer. I am a complete newcomer to ritual studies and this book is every novice's dream. Both detailed and wide-ranging, it gives sufficient exposure to the key questions to start using ritual in your own work, or to simply appreciate the pervasiveness of ritual in social life. The book is divided into three parts: Part one summarizes various theories of ritual from the mid 19th century to the present while discussing key aspects of ritual. Frazer, Durkheim, Levi-Strauss, Van Gennep, Douglas, Turner are some of the many key figures presented. Part two examines types of ritual, while Part three explores "the broader relationships between ritual activities and social life." A wealth of examples and brief case studies complete this extraordinary volume. The coverage and precision of this book are outstanding but I was most impressed by the objectivity and fairness with which Bell presents thinkers and positions now dated. If you are looking for a single volume introduction to ritual look no further.

While Bell provides what is a strong comprehensive look at ritual, this book is not for anyone who is trying to break into this. It is not nightstand reading! As an upper-level undergrad in religious studies, I found the book readable, challenging, and thoroughly engaging. However, there are some important principles that should be understood first--particularly sociological and psychological theories in religion. I would recommend that the thoughtful reader with some exposure to the study of religion and world religions accompany this text with Ronald Grimes' anthology _Readings in Ritual Studies._ In it you will find some of the foundational ideas as well as many of the scholars who inform Bell's study of ritual.