0
Your cart

Your cart is empty

Books > Christianity > Christian Worship

Buy Now

The Problem of Ritual Efficacy (Hardcover, New) Loot Price: R1,850
Discovery Miles 18 500
The Problem of Ritual Efficacy (Hardcover, New): William Sax, Johannes Quack, Jan Weinhold

The Problem of Ritual Efficacy (Hardcover, New)

William Sax, Johannes Quack, Jan Weinhold

Series: Oxford Ritual Studies Series

 (sign in to rate)
Loot Price R1,850 Discovery Miles 18 500 | Repayment Terms: R173 pm x 12*

Bookmark and Share

Expected to ship within 12 - 19 working days

Rituals transform citizens into presidents and princesses into queens. They transform sick persons into healthy ones, and public space into prohibited sanctuary. Shamanic rituals heal, legal rituals bind, political rituals ratify, and religious rituals sanctify. But how exactly do they accomplish these things? How do rituals work? This is the question of ritual efficacy, and although it is one of the very first questions that people everywhere ask of rituals, surprisingly little has been written on the topic. In fact, this collection of 10 contributed essays is the first to explicitly address the question of ritual efficacy. The authors do not aspire to answer the question 'how do rituals work?' in a simplistic fashion, but rather to show how complex the question is. While some contributors do indeed advance a particular theory of ritual efficacy, others ask whether the question makes any sense at all, and most show how complex it is by referring to the sociocultural environment in which it is posed, since the answer depends on who is asking the question, and what criteria they use to evaluate the efficacy of ritual. In his introduction, William Sax emphasizes that the very notion of ritual efficacy is a suspicious one because, according to a widespread 'modern' and 'scientific' viewpoint, rituals are merely expressive, and therefore cannot be efficacious. Rituals are thought of as superficial, 'merely symbolic,' and certainly not effective. Nevertheless many people insist that rituals 'work,' and the various positions taken on the question tell us a great deal about the social and historical background of the people involved. One essay, for example, illuminates a dispute between 'materialist' and 'enlightenment' Catholics in Ecuador, with the former affirming the notion of ritual efficacy and the latter doubting it. In other essays, contributors address instances in which orthodox religious figures (mullahs, church authorities, and even scientific positivists) discount the efficacy of rituals. In several of the essays, 'modern' people are suspicious of rituals and tend to deny their efficacy, confirming the theme highlighted in Sax's introduction.

General

Imprint: Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin: United States
Series: Oxford Ritual Studies Series
Release date: February 2010
First published: 2010
Editors: William Sax (Professor of Anthropology) • Johannes Quack (Lecturer of Religious Studies and Anthropology) • Jan Weinhold (Research psychologist)
Dimensions: 243 x 160 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format: Hardcover - Cloth over boards
Pages: 208
Edition: New
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-539440-5
Categories: Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > The Bible > General
Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Christian worship > General
Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian worship > General
Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > The Bible > General
Books > Christianity > Christian Worship
Books > Christianity > The Bible
Promotions
LSN: 0-19-539440-2
Barcode: 9780195394405

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!

You might also like..

Start With Prayer - 250 Prayers For Hope…
Max Lucado Hardcover  (1)
R424 R385 Discovery Miles 3 850
Releasing Resurrection And Revival From…
Robert Henderson Paperback R678 Discovery Miles 6 780
Prayers To Strengthen Your Soul - 365…
Karen Moore Paperback R542 R412 Discovery Miles 4 120
Fasting Journal
Jentezen Franklin Hardcover R471 R440 Discovery Miles 4 400
Pray First - The Transformative Power Of…
Chris Hodges Paperback R495 R445 Discovery Miles 4 450
Fat & Funny - (So, You Want to Be Santa…
Michael Supe Granda Paperback R367 R348 Discovery Miles 3 480
Miraculous Images and Votive Offerings…
Frank Graziano Hardcover R3,796 Discovery Miles 37 960
The Gift of Rest - Rediscovering the…
Joseph I. Lieberman, David Klinghoffer Paperback R457 R424 Discovery Miles 4 240
Explosive Preaching - Letters on…
Ronald Boyd-macmillan Paperback R592 Discovery Miles 5 920
Dictionary Of Devotions
Michael J Walsh Hardcover R1,171 Discovery Miles 11 710
Centering Prayer - Sitting Quietly in…
Brian D Russell Paperback R461 R371 Discovery Miles 3 710
The Craft of Ritual Studies
Ronald L. Grimes Hardcover R4,095 Discovery Miles 40 950

See more

Partners