From the category archives:

Various

Folklore of the Transgender Community in Tamilnadu

17 April 2010

This Youtube video documentary, edited from a year of documentation,  depicts the initiation and adoption rituals in transgender communities of Tamilnadu, India.

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Spirit Possession and Trance

3 April 2010

Spirit possession is a phenomenon that often elicits a response of fear, particular in those who are ignorant of its meaning and role within its particular religious and cultural traditions. Possession by divine beings (such as spirits or gods) is, however, a key practice in religions worldwide. It is therefore important to gain an understanding of [...]

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Infelicitous Performances

14 January 2010

I’ve been working intermittently for about 30 years (first as a writer of feminist/neopagan rituals, and then as a sort of wildcat theorist) on the question of aesthetics in liturgical language. Of course there’s more to ritual than language, but the words surrounding ritual actions can make or break them: they may not be infelicitous [...]

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Harry Potter and the Persistence of Ritual

7 August 2009

Nancy Gibbs ends her August 3, Time magazine “Briefing” with a note on the impending 2011 releases of the final Harry Potter films based on The Deathly Hallows. After then, no more Harry Potter films. Oh, dear. She finishes her piece with the lingering thought: “After that, it will be up to fans to find [...]

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