π―οΈπ¬π Ritual, Performance and the Senses
π Book Report: π Ritual, π¬ Performance and the π Senses
This report focuses on the edited volume π Ritual, π Performance and the π Senses (Bloomsbury/Routledge ποΈ 2015/2016), edited by π¨βπ« Michael Bull and π¨βπ« Jon P. Mitchell, part of the Sensory Studies series edited by π¨βπ« David Howes.
π Overview
- π This collection explores how π ritual facilitates the sharing of π religious ideas, π§ beliefs, and π€ values among participants.
- π§ It centralizes the body and the ποΈ experiential, π sensory nature of π ritual practices.
- π§ The book integrates perspectives from cognitive/neuroanthropology, π performance studies, and the anthropology of the π senses.
π Key Themes/Arguments
- π§ Embodied π Religious Practice: Investigates various facets of how religion is lived and experienced through the π§ body.
- π Sensory Dimensions of π Ritual: Emphasizes understanding π ritual through the π senses, including how different cultures might prioritize or organize sensory experiences differently (e.g., the βsensory modelβ of a society).
- π§ Cognitive Processes: Explores the relationship between π ritual actions, π§ brain function, and cognitive processes, including concepts like the βextended sensoriumβ where cognition intersects brain, body, and environment.
- π Performance and πΊοΈ Space: Examines how π ritual performances shape and are shaped by πΊοΈ space, particularly in contexts like pilgrimages.
- π Transmission of Culture: Offers a nuanced understanding of how cultural and π religious knowledge is transmitted and shared not just intellectually, but through embodied, π sensory experience.
ποΈ Structure/Contributions
- π The book features eight chapters by π¨βπ« scholars from the contributing fields.
- π€ Topics range from philosophical discussions of π§ belief to explorations of neurological processes during π ritual.
- π Case Studies Include:
- π Miracles and visionary experiences in Catholic Malta.
- π§ Meditative practices in theatrical π performance.
- πΆ Pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.
- π The Ramlila festival in Ramnagar, India.
- πΆ Pilgrimage to the SeΓ±or de Qoylloritβi shrine in the Peruvian Andes.
- π Notable Contributions (based on reviews/summaries):
- π¨βπ« Jon Mitchell critiques the ontological turn in the anthropology of religion via mimetic π performance.
- π¨βπ« Turner and Downey explore the co-dependence of π ritual and π§ brain function, using π prayer as an example.
- π¨βπ« Marchand and Schechner analyze pilgrimage experiences and place-making.
- π¨βπ« Phillip Zarrilli takes a phenomenological approach to conscious states in π§ meditation, π₯ martial arts, and acting.
- π¨βπ« Zoila Mendoza discusses the Andean βsensory modelβ through pilgrimage.
- π¨βπ« David Howes argues for understanding sensation beyond mere biological processes and introduces the concept of the βextended sensoriumβ.
π€ Significance/Critique
- π The volume provides a valuable interdisciplinary approach to understanding π ritual, moving beyond purely symbolic or textual analysis to focus on lived, π sensory experience.
- π§ It highlights the centrality of the body and π senses in understanding fundamental human social processes.
- π§ The inclusion of cognitive/neuroscientific perspectives alongside anthropological and π performance studies offers novel insights.
- π§ Some chapters, like Zarrilliβs, may be challenging for readers without specific background knowledge.
- π It contributes significantly to the fields of anthropology, π religious studies, π performance studies, cognitive science, and π sensory studies.
π Further Reading Recommendations
π€ Similar Works (Intersection of π Ritual, π¬ Performance, π Senses)
- π Schechner, Richard. The Future of π Ritual: Writings on Culture and π¬ Performance: Explores ritualized behaviorβs connection to π¬ performance and politics in an intercultural context. π¨βπ« Schechner also contributes a chapter to π Ritual, π¬ Performance and the π Senses.
- π Howes, David (ed.). The Varieties of π Sensory Experience: A Sourcebook in the Anthropology of the π Senses: An earlier foundational text compiling work on the anthropology of the π senses, complementary to π¬ performance and π ritual studies.
- π Stoller, Paul. Sensuous Scholarship: Argues for incorporating taste, smell, and touch into ethnographic representation, often relevant to π ritual contexts. (Mentioned as contributor in, related work in).
- π Hahn, Tomie. Sensational Knowledge: Embodying Culture Through Japanese Dance: Explores how cultural knowledge is embodied and transmitted through the π senses in π¬ performance (specifically π dance, a form often linked to π ritual).
βοΈ Contrasting Perspectives
- π McLaren, Peter. Schooling as a π Ritual π¬ Performance: Towards a Political Economy of Educational Symbols and Gestures: While focused on schooling, it analyzes π ritual π¬ performance through a critical, political economy lens, contrasting with the more cognitive/experiential focus.
- π Howes, David. Sensorial Investigations: A History of the π Senses in Anthropology, Psychology, and Law: Provides a historical critique of how π senses have been understood and disciplined, particularly contrasting anthropological views with experimental psychology and sensory science, offering a broader historical and critical frame.
- π Works focusing purely on Cognitive Science of Religion: While π Ritual, π¬ Performance and the π Senses incorporates cognitive science, books solely focused on this area might offer different, perhaps more reductionist, interpretations of π ritual experience compared to the volumeβs emphasis on cultural and sensory models. (Examples not explicitly in sources, but implied contrast).
β¨ Creatively Related
- π Pink, Sarah. Doing π Sensory Ethnography: A methodological guide focused on incorporating the π senses into ethnographic research practice, useful for researchers inspired by π Ritual, π¬ Performance and the π Senses.
- π Le Breton, David. Sensing the World: An Anthropology of the π Senses: A comprehensive cultural account of perception, discussing each sense and returning the body to the center of social life, offering rich tangential explorations.
- π Seremetakis, C. Nadia (ed.). The π Senses Still: Perception and Memory as Material Culture in Modernity: Explores sensory memory and its role in preserving culture against homogeneity and modernity, touching on themes of embodiment and experience in a different context.
- π Vannini, Phillip (ed.). The Routledge International Handbook of π Sensory Ethnography: Expands the field by linking sensory research with affective, more-than-human, non-representational, and multimodal approaches, suggesting future directions. Contributors include Howes, Bull, Stoller.
- π Classen, Constance. Worlds of π Sense: Exploring the π Senses in History and Across Cultures: A foundational work in the anthropology of the π senses exploring diverse sensory models across time and space.
π¬ Gemini Prompt (gemini-2.5-pro-exp-03-25)
Write a markdown-formatted (start headings at level H2) book report, followed by a plethora of additional similar, contrasting, and creatively related book recommendations on Ritual, Performance and the Senses. Be thorough in content discussed but concise and economical with your language. Structure the report with section headings and bulleted lists to avoid long blocks of text.