e-rhizome 2022, 4(1):2-9 | DOI: 10.5507/rh.2022.001

Dimitris Xygalatas' Scientific Study of Ritual.
A review on Dimitris Xygalatas, Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living, London: Profile Books, 2022.

Luther H. Martin
University of Vermont

Xygalatas identifies religious ritual as a special type of human ritualized behavior generally, the scientific study, of which, he maintains, is "in full development." While I have been less convinced that this is the case with any 'scientific' study of religion, Xygalatas has been a pioneer among those who have, in fact, engaged in a truly scientific study of religious ritual, both in the laboratory as well as, more interestingly, in the field. His overview of the state of this research, including his own, presents a wealth of investigative conclusions in an informative and engaging manner.

Keywords: ritual, religious ritual, scientific study of ritual, rituals and prosociality, the dangerous effects of ritual

Accepted: January 21, 2023; Published: January 22, 2023  Show citation

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Martin, L.H. (2022). Dimitris Xygalatas' Scientific Study of Ritual.
A review on Dimitris Xygalatas, Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living, London: Profile Books, 2022. e-rhizome, 4(1), 2-9. doi: 10.5507/rh.2022.001
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