Ritual is one of the oldest, and certainly most enigmatic, threads in the history of human culture. It presents a profound paradox: people ascribe the utmost importance to their rituals, but few can explain why they are so important. Apparently pointless ceremonies pervade every documented society, from handshakes to hexes, hazings to parades. Before we ever ... Show More
Apr 2025
Amy Zhang, "Circular Ecologies: Environmentalism and Waste Politics in Urban China" (Stanford UP, 2024)
After four decades of reform and development, China is confronting a domestic waste crisis. As the world's largest waste-generating nation, the World Economic Forum projects that by 2030, the volume of household waste in China will be double that of the United States. Starting in ... Show More
1h 7m
Yesterday
Sara Ann Swenson, "Near Light We Shine: Buddhist Charity in Urban Vietnam" (Oxford UP, 2025)
Sara Swenson is Assistant Professor of Religion and Affiliated Faculty in Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages at Dartmouth College. Her areas of expertise include Religions of Southeast Asia, Buddhism in Vietnam, Gender and Sexuality, Affect Theory, and Ethnography. She rece ... Show More
1h 3m
Jan 14
Leah Lowthorp, "Deep Cosmopolitanism: Kutiyattam, Dynamic Tradition, and Globalizing Heritage in Kerala, India" (Indiana UP, 2025)
Deep Cosmopolitanism: Kutiyattam, Dynamic Tradition, and Globalizing Heritage in Kerala, India explores the extraordinary past and present of Kutiyattam Sanskrit theater, the world's oldest continuously performed theater. Recognized as India's first UNESCO intangible cultural her ... Show More
57m 15s
Mar 2023
On Ritual and Living Life in Ceremony with Day Schildkret
<p>In this episode with award-winning author, artist, ritualist Day Schildkret we explore the power of rituals to help us feel more grounded, safe, connected and alive. </p> <p>WE CONNET ON:</p> <ul> <li>Learning how to slow down to enjoy and celebrate life</li> <li>Combining rit ... Show More
54m 8s
May 2023
#386 Thierry Janssen : Des rituels pour une existence pleine de sens
<p>Anne Ghesquière reçoit dans Métamorphose Thierry Janssen, ancien chirurgien devenu psychothérapeute, écrivain et fondateur de fondateur de l’École De La Posture Juste à Bruxelles. Les rituels peuvent-ils nous aider à mieux vivre dans un monde incertain, à trouver du sens et à ... Show More
1h 2m
Mar 2023
How Rituals Attach us to our Communities with Dimitris Xygalatas, Ph.D.
"If you randomly assign people in two groups and you give them different insignia or you have them go through different practices, as we saw in this study, they come to like each other more. It's very easy to create this basic sense of belonging and identity. Ritual is particular ... Show More
56m 54s