Craft of Ritual Studies - Paperback

by Ronald L. Grimes (Author)

In religious studies, theory and method research has long been embroiled in a polarized debate over scientific versus theological perspectives. Ronald L. Grimes shows that this debate has stagnated, due in part to a manner of theorizing too far removed from the study of actual religious practices. A worthwhile theory, according to Grimes, must be practice-oriented, and practices are most effectively studied by field research methods.

Author Biography

Ronald Grimes is author of several books on ritual, including Rite Out of Place: Ritual, Media, and the Arts. He is co-editor of the Oxford Ritual Studies Series, as well as the volume Ritual, Media, and Conflict. Most recently, Grimes was Senior Researcher, Senior Lecturer, and ISM Fellow at Yale University. Previously, he was Chair of Ritual Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen (the Netherlands). He currently resides in Canada and is Professor Emeritus of Religion and Culture at Wilfrid Laurier University.