1st Edition
Ritual and the Sacred A Neo-Durkheimian Analysis of Politics, Religion and the Self
By Massimo Rosati
Copyright 2009
180 Pages
by
Routledge
180 Pages
by
Routledge
180 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
Ritual and the Sacred discusses some of the most important issues of modern socio-political life through the lens of a neo-Durkheimian perspective. Building on the main lesson of Durkheim's Elementary Forms of Religious Life, this book articulates values and practices common to non-Western and religious traditions that have the capacity to shape our modern way of living. Central to this volume is... Read more
Ritual and the Sacred
Biography
Massimo Rosati is a lecturer of Sociology at the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Italy.
'Rosati offers us a brilliant interpretation of Durkheim as a post-positivist thinker. Taking ritual and tradition seriously, he shows us how Durkheim’s understanding of these provides us with the formal criteria for living the good life, indeed, as supplying the very conditions for individual judgment and autonomy. This book will be a touchstone for all future studies of religion and selfhood.' Adam Seligman, Boston University, USA 'This book overcomes the barren confrontation between secularization theorists and "return of the sacred" supporters, showing the heuristic advantage of putting in opposition the concepts of ritual and the sacred, rather than those of religion and the sacred - a compelling argument revealing the centrality of ritual in our society.' Enzo Pace, University of Padua, Italy 'The author makes a strong case that Durkheim is underestimated as a critic of modernity, and, connectedly, that the loss of ritual as a dimension of social life is a heavy loss, indeed. Rosati writes with a clear but understated sense of moral urgency. The book is highly recommended on all of these counts...' Contemporary Sociology
