Merrifield's final chapter, "The ritual of superstition: recognition and potential for study", provides an overview of the entire book, highlighting the evidence of ritual continuity from pre-Christian periods to the present day.
As Swazey says in her talk, one of the beautiful aspects of the Torajan's elaborate death ritual is the recognition that there is a long process involved in re-creating our world and transforming our relationship to the deceased.
Yet, the "invisibility" of these losses, the lack of public recognition and ritual they are accorded, and the social stigma that surrounds them can leave parents without needed support and isolated in their grief [ 2, 11, 12].
Some are primarily inspirational in that their chief aim is to raise members' morale and combat feelings of isolation by cultivating a sense of group belongingness through slogans, rituals, testimonials, and public recognition of members' progress.
"Any time there are rituals of ordination or recognition, the institution becomes intertwined with patriarchal hierarchies".
Two years after one of its students died after a fraternity drinking ritual, Cornell University has withdrawn its recognition of another fraternity after a pledging episode in which prospective members were said to have been served alcohol and stripped naked.
And since many fish spawn in sync with the lunar cycle, we hypothesize that fish biofluorescence could serve species recognition functions during moonlit mating rituals.
Olfaction in salamanders plays a role in territory maintenance, the recognition of predators, and courtship rituals, but is probably secondary to sight during prey selection and feeding.
The ritual of the playing of "La Marseillaise" in recognition of victims of the Paris attacks, repeated out of context in this weekend's Premier League programme following its emotional rendition at Wembley, is troubling since it invites cynicism.
"What's driving it," Rabbi Shapiro said, "is there's a recognition among many in our movement that ritual is an important part of life".
