Understanding Rituals explores how ritual can be understood within the framework of contemporary social anthropology, and shows that ritual is now one of the most fertile fields of anthropological research. The contributors demonstrate how rituals create and maintain - or transform - a society's cultural identity and social relations. By examining specific rituals from various theoretical viewpoints, they reveal the ultimate and contradictory values to which each society as a whole is attached.

This book represents contributions from leading scholars from several disciplines that show the diversity of approaches to religious rituals, while also providing cross-disciplinary perspectives on this topic.

Winner of the Book of the Year Award for the Conference on Christianity and Literature.--Thomas H. Luxon, Dartmouth College "CHOICE"

Amsterdam of the 50s, 60s and 70s is viewed from the perspective of Inni Wintrop, a man who leads a capricious life, floating comfortably on open possibilities.

The study of ritual and how it relates to beliefs and ideas is of central importance in our understanding of the world. Rituals can become divorced from beliefs and religious believers regarded as simply "going through the motions". 'Ritual and Religious Belief: A Reader' presents the full range of scholarly thinking on ritual and ritualizing as they relate to belief. It questions the assumption that belief should take precedence over outward behaviour and engages with questions such as: how are rituals related to performance; are politics ritualized; and is there a difference between rituals and etiquette? This comprehensive volume brings together material by eminent scholars from across the centuries, ranging from Martin Luther's sacramental dialogues to the life and routine patterns of Zen Buddhist Temples and the relationship between magic, religion and science. It will be of interest to all those engaged in the study of the dynamics between ritual and belief.

Thinking Through Rituals explores religious ritual acts and their connection to meaning and truth, building upon their special status as virtually pure forms of belief in action.