Customer Reviews

Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity (Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology)

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"Roy A. Rappaport was one of the most distinguished anthropologists of his generation. What sets this book apart from other anthropoplogical studies of religion is that it is not only "about" religion, but is also a profoundly religious book. The author makes a strong case for what he sees as religion's significance in human evolution and argues passsionately for the reconciliation of religion and science. He suggests that human survival may depend on developing a postmodern science that is thoroughly grounded in ecology. Examining evidence from fields as diverse as history, cybernetics, communication theory, semiotics, ethnography, ecology, philosphy, and comparative religions, Rappaport comes to the conclusion that riual should be the main focus of religious studies because "ritual is the ground where all religion is made." The book provides the fullest analysis of ritual since Emile Durkheim's The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1912). It is carefully argued; well reasoned, and precise, and is likely to influence scholars for many years to come. Extensive documentation. Solid bibliography. Highly recommended." Stephen D. Glazier, Professor of Anthropology, University of Nebraska

As the centuries long battle between religion and science unfolded in the 19th century, science became the clear winner in terms of intellectual prestige. But that fight, while leaving science victorious in the realm of the intellect also left lingering prejudices within science towards religion. As science moved forward offering us ever deeper knowledge of the cosmos, life, and ourselves, science also began to ignore its former nemesis. Despite the awesome significance of religion in human life and history, the social sciences have relatively little to offer on the role of religion in human evolution and the reasons for or mechanisms whereby religions tradition are transmitted from one generation to the next.

It's not uncommon to meet fantastically educated people, with strong knowledge in the physical or social sciences, who not only know nothing of religion but seem to insist that there's nothing worth knowing. For these people, human religious behavior is looked at as some kind of quirk or anomaly, an embarrassing hold-over from a dark past that we'd all just hopefully outgrow. Such people tend to comfort themselves with the old baseless superstition that religion is the "opiate of the masses." But considering the importance of religion in human history and the astonishing grip religious belief holds over the lives of billions of human beings, it's probably safe to assert that disciplines such as psychology and sociology are fundamentally grasping in the dark if they are unable or unwilling to seriously come to terms with role of religion in the lives of individuals and societies.

Rappaport's book provides the most thorough and penetrating look into human religion that I've ever come across. Combining insights from an astonishingly wide array of fields, Rappaport demonstrates the role that religion has played in human evolution and how and why humans evolved to become religious beings. In the end, he makes a fascinating case for the role of religion in human life and why our survival as a species depends on understanding that role.

This is unquestionably the most intellectually rigorous and powerful book I've seen on anthropology and human evolution. As the review below by an anthropology student shows, this book is not easy reading and certainly isn't recommended for people with little background in these topics. However, dedicated students of the social sciences who have an interest in these issues should be able to make it through with some patience. Those who do will be richly rewarded. I've read some fascinating and brilliant works on these topics, but nothing I've come across approaches the raw analytic and synthetic power of Rappaport. He truly was one of the greatest anthropologists and arguably one of the greatest social scientists that the United States has ever produced.

The late Roy Rappaport should be more famous than he is now. He's one of the scientific mystics of the ecopsychology movement and so it should be. One thing lacking is the next step: If the sacred, ritual, shamanism, language, and symbolic culture all appeared at the same moment, we need more speculation on exactly when this moment was, what brought it on, and why it occurred. The suggestion verges on the mystical -- and in such a brilliant, erudite, well-reasoned (if challenging) book, the mystical would certainly have been earned. It is a tour de force of intellectual engagement if you have the intellectual tools to engage it.

One of the most remarkable things of this book, is that it was written at all. Roy Rappaport (a former boss and good friend of mine) was dying of lung cancer while he writing this book and I think that is reflected in the tone. Although he had begun writing before his diagnosis I think the subject became more personal because of it. "El jefe" (my name for him) was a very religious man, but he didn't proclaim it loudly; it was shown in small ways.

It is difficult to read, but its subject is difficult. I just wish he were still here so I could say to him "What in the world are you trying to say here. You have no verbs in this paragraph!"

This is simply the best---and clearest, in spite of several reviewers' claims to the contrary---exposition of religion and the associated issues of the sacred and the numinous, by a person who asks all the difficult---yet the only meaningful---questions.

Rappaport belongs to the rarest company of truly unique intellectuals who understand the issues they are discussing, and finds a way to share their insights. A tour de force of the highest calibre.

I would add my voice to the others- this book is a big, big, winner. Written by the author at the sunset of a distinguished career as a professor of anthropology at a us unviersity, Ritual and Religion uses the discipline as anthropology as a mere starting point for an in depth exploration of the relationship between humanity and it's religion.

In particular, he integrates the fields of semiotics, linguistic philosophy and cybernetics/systems theory to create an argument that manages to both dissect and rebuild the role of relgion in human society.

Rappaports central argument: That ritual is crucial to maintaining human adaptability in the face of environmental challenges, is teased out over some 450+ fascinating pages. He defines terms like an analytic philosopher, talks about New Guinean tribal culture with the aplomb of an anthropolgist, and summarizes difficult to understand thinkers like Charles Peirce and Austin in ways that even a college undergraduate (or their equivalent) could grasp.

In the end, Rappaport argues that humanity without religion and ritual is not humanity at all. Or rather that it is ritual and religion that allows us to dominate the natural environments we exist in.

Having been told by our lecturer that the material in Rappaport's book poses challenges even to PhD students in anthropology I am not particularly surprised by an undergraduate's strong negative reaction (see one star review). Our lecturer eased us in gently by taking several weeks introducing the core material Rappaport uses in his book to build his argument. As a consequence the far reaching wisdom expressed in Ritual and Religion managed to have the full effect at least on me. Absolutely brilliant book which I can not praise highly enough. But novices beware - not for the faint of heart.

This was a great resource for class.

Thank you for the timely shipping.

Lisa Fisher

This holistic evolutionary account of the ritual foundations of human communication and religion represents a major theoretical formulation by an major anthropologist.

Being an Anthropology major and have read many anthropological books. This is by far the worst book I have ever had to read. Rappaport rambles on and on in a meaningless train of thought, then three paragraphs later changes his mind on what he was thinking. After reading this book from front to back cover, I will never pick up a Rappaport book again. I would have learned more by watching Sesame Street than this book