Ronald L. Grimes offers a systematic theory and method essential for the cross-cultural, interdisciplinary study of ritual enactments.

In religious studies, theory and method research has long been embroiled in a polarized debate over scientific versus theological perspectives. Ronald L. Grimes shows that this debate has stagnated, due in part to a manner of theorizing too far removed from the study of actual religious practices. A worthwhile theory, according to Grimes, must be practice-oriented, and practices are most effectively studied by field research methods.

For anyone hoping to gain a foothold in ritual studies, this book offers the opportunity to learn from an expert scholar who wears his own learning with grace and wry humour.