Conference: Ritual Dynamics and the Science of Ritual

Rituals 2008

Another slightly oblique conference topic, Egyptologically speaking. It has relevance to Egypt because religion and its expression in various forms, including ritual, are inescapable in Egyptology. It looks as though the conference has some an interesting mixture of offerings (no pun intended).

Aim of the conference

The Collaborative Research Centre "Ritual Dynamics" (SFB 619 "Ritualdynamik") was set up in 2002 as an interdisciplinary centre to research the dynamics of ritual. It is the world's largest research centre dedicated solely to investigating these issues, with over 90 scientists and researchers working in seventeen sub-projects. Our focus is on the (re)invention of rituals, transfer and change - which we see as the rule not the exception. Through questions such as: "Who invents rituals and why?" "When and why do rituals die?" "How variable are rituals and how do new media affect old rituals?" new avenues have been opened up, such as research into inter-cultural ritual transfer, ritual agency, and the connections between rituals and new media.

It is now time to develop collaborative models to research rituals at an international level. We thus invite scholars worldwide to come, discuss, and expand our results, and to explore new approaches such as ritual economics, ritual design, and scientific rituals.