Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions--Revised Edition

Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions--Revised Edition by Bell, Catherine. Paperback edition. ISBN: 9780199735105.

Catherine Bell offers a practical introduction to ritual practice and its study, surveying the most influential theories of religion and ritual, the major categories of ritual activity, and the key debates that have shaped our understanding of ritualism. Bell refuses to nail down ritual with any one definition or understanding. Instead, her purpose is to reveal how definitions emerge and evolve and to help us become more familiar with the interplay of tradition, exigency, and self-expression that goes into constructing this complex social medium.