From handshakes and toasts to chanting and genuflection, rituals pervade our social interaction and religious practice. But few of us could identify all of our daily and festal ritual behaviors, much less explain them to an outsider. Bell offers an introduction to ritual practice and its study; she surveys the most influential theories of religion and ritual, the main categories of ritual activity, and the debates that have shaped our notion of ritualism.

Catherine BellAssociate Professor of Religious Studies, Santa Clara University, California

"Any professional who teaches in the field of ritual will benefit from [Bell's] quick review of the history of theory....[she] must be congratulated for raising so many interesting questions..."--Method and Theory in the Study of Religion