PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Martin, Luther H.
TI  - Dimitris Xygalatas' Scientific Study of Ritual. A review on Dimitris Xygalatas, Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living, London: Profile Books, 2022.
DP  - 2023 Jan 22
TA  - e-rhizome
PG  - 2--9
VI  - 4
IP  - 1
AID - 10.5507/rh.2022.001
IS  - 2571242X
AB  - 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.