How do rituals work? Ancient Ritual and Modern Theory

ANE 234 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

How do rituals work? What makes them succeed (or fail)? For whom do they work? Why do we perform them? Which experiences do rituals elicit? In this class, we will explore these questions, by looking at evidence from the ancient world in light of modern theories of ritual. The study of ritual draws from many disciplines, ranging from religion, philosophy, anthropology, and history to sociology, psychology, and biology. We will draw connections between all these disciplines and the ancient data, so as to come to a broader understanding of what ritual is and how it works.

In this seminar, we will focus on specific ancient rituals (e.g., the New Year Festival); on specific types of ritual (e.g., royal ritual); and on broader trends underlying ritual (e.g., magic). We will explore what these case studies reveal about ritual in general, connecting the ancient world to our modern experience. We will also dwell on the question of how we can study ritual through ancient data. How does ritual performance relate to text? How does material culture help us to study ritual practice?

We emphasize class participation and discussion in this seminar. Students will be asked to engage deeply with both the ancient sources and ritual theory through reading, writing, and presenting.