Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions

Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: 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 only 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 Bell's objectivity and fairness in assessing thinkers and positions now dated. If you are looking for a single volume introduction to ritual look no further.


Rating:
Summary: Great but not for the first timer in this field...
Review: 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.