Ritual has long been a central concept in anthropological theories of religious transmission. Ritual; Performance and the Senses offers a new understanding of how ritual enables religious representations ndash; ideas; beliefs; values ndash; to be shared among participants. Focusing on the body and the experiential nature of ritual; the book brings together insights from three distinct areas of study: cognitive/neuroanthropology; performance studies and the anthropology of the senses. Eight chapters by scholars from each of these sub-disciplines investigate different aspects of embodied religious practice; ranging from philosophical discussions of belief to explorations of the biological processes taking place in the brain itself. Case studies range from miracles and visionary activity in Catholic Malta to meditative practices in theatrical performance and include three pilgrimage sites: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem; the festival of Ramlila in Ramnagar; India and the mountain shrine of the Lord of the Shiny Snow in Andean Peru.Understanding ritual allows us to understand processes at the very centre of human social life and humanity itself; making this an invaluable text for students and scholars in anthropology; cognitive science; performance studies and religious studies.
#1125630 in eBooks 2015-03-24 2015-03-24File Name: B00TXS498O
Review
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. A bit disappointingBy groncherI have to admit I have only rarely heard the Vinyl Tap radio show; but the isolated bits I have experienced of Bachman talking about song origins have been intriguing to a long-time fan of his music. I eagerly purchased Vinyl Tap Stories for my new Kindle; anticipating some detailed background to tie in with the music I so enjoy. To some degree I got it; but not nearly to the extent I had hoped for. Unfortunately; this book has quite a bit of repetition; the introduction section seems to cover much of his career path; and subsequent chapters make mention of the same events without much additional information to add flavor. I was also puzzled by the number of Top Lists; which seem to largely act as filler. Perhaps it was something to do with it being my first Kindle read; but I felt the lists also seemed repetitive. None of this lessens my admiration for Bachmans music or respect for his moral decision to not publish a tell-all down-and-dirty typical rocker biography; but I find myself feeling something is missing. I understand that the book is made from a collection of radio productions and would therefore expect some lack of continuity; but I found the lack of chronology sometimes confusing and frustrating. There are some background gems in there; but not enough to warrant the price I paid for the book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy J. A. MedlerGreat stories.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Winnipeg; the hotspot of Canadian Rock RollBy RoyEnjoyed all the stories especially the ones referencing Winnipeg of the 60s 70s 80s.In an easy narrative it was fun to read!
