Homo Ritualis: Hindu Ritual and Its Significance to Ritual Theory

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Axel Michaels (Professor of Classical Indology, Professor of Classical Indology, University of Heidelberg)

Homo Ritualis

Hindu Ritual and Its Significance to Ritual Theory

Axel Michaels (Professor of Classical Indology, Professor of Classical Indology, University of Heidelberg)

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English

Oxford University Press Inc
07 January 2016

Hindu worship, rites & ceremonies

Series: Oxford Ritual Studies Series

Is the richness and diversity of rituals and celebrations in South Asia unique? Are Indians or Hindus more involved in rituals than people of other faiths and other places? If so, what makes them special? Can we speak of a homo ritualis when it comes to India or Hinduism? Drawing on extensive textual studies and fieldwork in Nepal and India, Axel Michaels demonstrates how the characteristic structure of Hindu rituals employs the Brahmanic-Sanskritic sacrifice as a model, and how this structure is one of the distinguishing features of Hinduism more generally. Many religions tend over time to develop less ritualized or more open forms of belief, but Brahmanical Hinduism has internalized ritual behavior to the extent that it has become its most important and distinctive feature, permeating social and personal life alike. The religion can thus be seen as a particular case in the history of religions in which ritual form dominates belief and develops a sweeping autonomy of ritual behavior.

Homo Ritualis analyzes ritual through these cultural-specific and religious contexts, taking into account how indigenous terms and theories affect and contribute to current ritual theory. It describes and investigates various forms of Hindu rituals and festivals, such as life-cycle rituals, the Vedic sacrifice, vows processions, and the worship of deities (puja). It also examines various conceptual components of (Hindu) rituals such as framing, formality, modality, and theories of meaning.

By: Axel Michaels (Professor of Classical Indology Professor of Classical Indology University of Heidelberg)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 231mm, Width: 155mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 522g
ISBN: 9780190262631
ISBN 10: 019026263X
Series: Oxford Ritual Studies Series
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 07 January 2016
Audience: College/higher education , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

"Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations Plates and Figures Pronunciation of Indian Words Introduction Part I: Framing 1. The Beginning of Rituals 1.1 The Solemn Intention (samkalpa) 1.2 Greeting and Ritualized Greeting (namaskara) Conclusion Part II: Formality 2. Repetitive Rules (vidhi) 2.1 The Grammar of Rituals 2.2 A Preliminary ""Grammar"" of Newar Life-cycle Rituals 2.3 Rituals in Handbooks (paddhati) 3. Agency in Ritual 3.1 Ritual Competency (adhikara) 3.2 Atonements for Ritual Mishaps (prayascitta) 3.3 The Comic Side of Ritual Formality 4. Performed and Played Rituals (lila) 4.1 Music and Ritual Music 4.2 Dance and Ritual Dance 4.3 Emotions and Ritual Emotions Conclusion Part III: Modality 5. Individualized and Domestic Rituals (samskara) 5.1 The Boy's Initiation 5.2 The Girl's Initiation 5.3 The Marriage 5.4 Death Rituals and Redemption 6. Collective and Public Rituals 6.1 Temple Festivals (utsava) 6.2 Vows (vrata) 6.3 Pilgrimages and Processions (yatra) 7. Transcendence in Rituals 7.1 The Vedic Sacrifice (yajña) 7.2 The Fire Sacrifice (homa) 7.3 Worship and Prayer (puja) 7.4 E-darshan and Cyber-puja Conclusion Part IV: Meaning 8. Meaning and Function 8.1 The Cultural Studies Approach 8.2 The Cognitive Sciences approach 9. The Purvamimamsa Theory of Ritual Efficacy Conclusion Part V: The Hindu Path of Ritual-Summary Appendix: Automatic Detection of Ritual Structures Glossary References"

Axel Michaels is a scholar of Indology and religious studies. Since 1996, he has been Professor of Classical Indology at the South Asia Institute at the University of Heidelberg.

Reviews for Homo Ritualis: Hindu Ritual and Its Significance to Ritual Theory

Michaels's key contributions are twofold: first, he offers a unifying theory of the complex structure and variety of South Asian ritual performances in their own hermeneutical terms, and second he demonstrates that a theoretically sophisticated understanding of such rituals can make significant contributions to the field of ritual studies. * Jarrod Whitaker, Journal of Religion * Michaels's book is a positive contribution to ritual studies and to the study of Hindu ritual within the larger conversation of ritual theory. The ethno-Indological approach taken by Michaels is, furthermore, an innovative and rewarding method for the study of Hindu ritual, particularly as these two fieldsethnography and Indologyhave sometimes been seen as at odds with each other. * Adam Newman, Reading Religion *