Michael Rudolph 2006 (together with Bernhard Leistle):


Introduction“. In: Köpping/Leistle/Rudolph (eds) 2006: Ritual and Identity: Performative Practices as Effective Transformations of Social Reality.

Hamburg/Münster/London: LIT (Performanzen, Vol. 8) (ISBN 3-8258-8042-7), p. 9-32.

Abstract

To which extent is ritual involved in the formation of collective and personal identities? What are the mechanisms that are responsible for the (mostly pre-reflexive) constitution of identity in ritual; and - equally important - what are the strategies employed by social actors to actively influence and enhance these constitutive processes? Using approaches from performance theory and phenomenology, this introduction tries to give a theoretical outline for a better understanding of these phenomena.

Keywords: Ritual theory, performance theory, phenomenology, identity formation