RT Article
T1 Awkward History, Awkward Theory
JF Method & theory in the study of religion
VO 36
IS 1
SP 63
OP 71
A1 MacCormack, Ian
LA English
PB Brill
YR 2024
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1876261528
AB Based on a contribution to a panel discussion on Dana Logan’s Awkward Rituals, this essay addresses the first chapter of the book, in which Logan discusses the rites of Freemasons in the early American republic. It considers the particular significance of Masonic ritual practice with respect to Logan’s arguments about patterns of change in pre- and post-Revolutionary America; and reflects on the general theoretical import of this notion of ritual awkwardness, embodied by the Freemasons, considered as a form of purposive activity. It raises questions about the broader applicability in comparative religious studies of Logan’s insights, both for studying history and for thinking about ritual.
K1 Comparative Religion
K1 Freemasonry
K1 Ritual Theory
DO 10.1163/15700682-bja10111