Ritual

When the Chinese Nationalist Party nominally reunified the country in 1928, Chiang Kai-shek and other party leaders insisted that Nanjing was better suited than Beijing to serve as its capital. For th

Ritual studies today figures as a central element of religious discourse for many scholars around the world. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice, Catherine Bell's sweeping and seminal work on the subject,

In recent years the subject of satanic ritual abuse (SRA) has incited widespread controversy focused primarily on whether or not such abuse actually occurs. Much like child sexual abuse, SRA was init

During the late imperial era (1500-1911), China, though divided by ethnic, linguistic, and regional differences at least as great as those prevailing in Europe, enjoyed a remarkable solidarity. What h

The return of the traditional Irish lament - Provides context and history for the traditional Irish lament known as the keen, examining the origins of the ritual and its history from paganism through Christianity - Explores keening's shamanic dimensions and mythological connections to the Otherworld, including the world of Faerie while drawing on archaeology and traditional Irish folklore - Looks at the practicalities of keening, considering the wake as a rite of passage, the role and burden of keeners, the structure and music of the keen, and the contemporary rebirth of the practice Aiding the revival of a powerful rite nearly lost to history, Mary Mc Laughlin reveals the ancient keening lament as a ritualized practice which bears aspects of ancient shamanism while being rooted in the pre-Christian spiritual worldview of Ireland. Mc Laughlin, a singer and teacher, draws on personal experience, interviews, and historical and academic texts to provide a comprehensive and inspiring study

How the inhabitants of Western Madagascar reshape their collective identity and negotiate their place within contemporary society through royal rituals and the reinterpretation of the past.In a postcolonial republic marked by recurrent crises, royal hierarchy continues to frame social inequalities. Within this context, both the descendants of slaves and the newly rich seek to claim or legitimize new hierarchical positions by reformulating historical narratives and establishing them through royal rituals. Focusing on a cult dedicated to the spirits of the ancestors of the Silver Dynasty, Maurizio Esposito La Rossa investigates the categories of "silver" and "gold" that structure the hierarchy of the Sakalava monarchy and are also mobilized by politicians to legitimize their power. Through multi-sited ethnography, the book offers a broader reflection on the link between narratives and places and on contrasting ways of conceiving history. Whereas Western historiography--and the rise of th

安龍是臺灣北部寺廟修建後常見的土地修復儀式。漢人認為土地並非無生命的存在，而是充滿著氣的流動；建廟、掘地可能截斷龍脈，翻出煞氣。傳統安龍儀式以具象的「米龍」迎請龍神回歸；以「白虎」送走土煞。此儀式結合正一道教的祈福丶懺謝與閭山法術的開光、驅邪，呈現「道法二門」的特色。到了二十一世紀，米龍儀式越來越精緻，強調材料、身體技藝與氣的協作，並重視參與者的感官經驗。因此，它不再只是傳統儀式，而是重新建立人、神、士地與社群關係的公共宗教實作。

你不是沒有方向，只是還沒有開始設計！感覺被時代推著走？不知道自己是誰？不太確定下一步該往哪裡去？跟著政治大學X實驗學院的老師林承毅的三步驟──「十二型輪廓」認識自己、「設計思考」規畫路徑、「儀式感」建立引擎，這樣搭建專屬於自己的未來道路！STEP 1：「十二型輪廓Gen-U 12」深度了解自己。透過十二種人生輪廓找到你的自明性。STEP 2：「設計人生Design Your Life」設計學習路徑。大一的知識策展、大三的沉浸探索、畢業前的自我盤點，讓你走過的每一步都算數。STEP 3：「儀式設計Ritual Design」建立專屬引擎。以儀式設計的概念，為開始、日常、轉換與重啟四大階段各自打造「走得動」的系統，讓你任何狀態都能重新啟動。政治大學X實驗學院林承毅過去十年都在教學現場陪伴等不同學習背景的年輕學子摸索出路，同時長期擔任教育部青年發展署、文化部等逾十個政府計畫評委與輔導業師。他開設「設計人生，人生設計」課程的目標是為了協助解決十八歲到二十五歲「初級大人」的焦慮、迷惘與壓力，幫助更多年輕人認識自己，並陪伴他們思考「為什麼努力？」與「該往哪裡努力？」，主張不應再對年輕人說「要努力」，而應該幫助年輕人「設計如何努力」。「這本書，是我在課堂上、在全台現場陪伴青年實踐所積累的觀察與思考。」