When Rituals Go Wrong ― Mistakes, Failure, and the Dynamics of Ritual

Sometimes its only a matter of the authorities showing up, but unfathomable forces could be unleashed into an unsuspecting world. The implications and effects of breaking ritual rules, of failed performances, and of the extinction of ritual systems are investigated from a range of disciplines, which alas are not identified. The topics include dealing with deviation in the performance of Masonic rituals, the 2004 Red Matsyendranatha incident in Lalitpur, the ritual side of serial killings and the conditions for fortunate failure, and new rituals among Taiwan's aborigines under the impact of religious conversion and competition between elites. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ute Husken, Ph.D. (1996) in Indian Studies, University of Gottingen, is Research Fellow in the collaborative research centre on "dynamics of rituals" at the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg. She has published on contemporary and ancient forms of Buddhism and Hinduism, and on South Asian ritual.