36.2976, Reviews: The Oxford Handbook of Ritual Language: David Tavárez (ed.) (2025)

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Subject: 36.2976, Reviews: The Oxford Handbook of Ritual Language: David Tavárez (ed.) (2025)

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Date: 03-Oct-2025
From: Pavel Egizaryan [pavel.egizaryan at gmail.com]
Subject: Anthropological Linguistics, Sociolinguistics: David Tavárez (ed.) (2025)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/36-1271

Title: The Oxford Handbook of Ritual Language
Series Title: Oxford Handbooks
Publication Year: 2025

Publisher: Oxford University Press
           http://www.oup.com/us
Book URL:
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-ritual-language-9780192868091?utm_source=linguistlist&utm_medium=listserv&utm_campaign=linguistics

Editor(s): David Tavárez

Reviewer: Pavel Egizaryan

SUMMARY
The Oxford Handbook of Ritual Language, edited by David Tavárez,
Professor of Anthropology at Vassar College, USA, is a recent addition
to the Oxford Handbook series,  Like other volumes in the series, it
is conceived as a collection of chapters addressing key directions of
research rather than as a comprehensive introduction to the field. It
thus serves primarily as a reference work for those engaged in ritual
studies, while remaining accessible to readers from adjacent
disciplines.
The volume comprises 24 chapters organized into six major parts,
addressing diverse aspects of ritual practices, from methodological
issues to the practical features of ritual speech in contemporary
politics. David Tavárez opens the collection as the author of Part I,
"Ritual Language in History and Anthropology". Chapter 1, “Language,
Ritual, and Colonialism: A Brief Cultural History”, examines the
development and reception of rituals in the context of practices both
preceding colonial rule and during the processes of colonization and
Christianization in Indigenous societies of the Americas, South Asia,
and Eastern Europe. It serves as an effective introduction not only to
the study of ritual itself but also to the theme of colonialism, which
recurs throughout the volume. Chapter 2, “The Anthropology of Ritual
Language: Classic and Contemporary Approaches”, provides a concise
overview of the history of anthropological studies of ritual in the
20th and 21st centuries. In this chapter, Tavárez lays out the
methodological foundation for the subsequent parts of the book,
introducing key issues such as state authority, cosmology, identity,
society, and pluralism.
Part II, "Rethinking Ritual Language in Method and Theory," proposes
new approaches to familiar practices of social interaction. Chapter 3,
“The Chronotopic and Sonotopic Work of Ritual” (Kristina Wirtz),
analyzes the temporal and acoustic dimensions of rituals such as
President Obama’s oath of office, alongside traditions in educational
and religious contexts. Chapter 4, “The Language of Secrecy” (Paul
Christopher Johnson), explores how secrecy shapes ritual contexts by
restricting access to knowledge and power. Chapter 5, “The Ritual
Language of Militarization” (Janet McIntosh), examines practices in
the U.S. Marine Corps that transform recruits by severing ties with
their previous lives and channeling their aggression and other
emotions. Chapter 6, “Language and Ritual Healing” (Timothy W.
Knowlton), investigates linguistic and extralinguistic factors in
traditional healing practices in the Americas and Africa.
Part III, "Ritual Language, Colonialism, and State Hegemony,"
addresses ritual practices in the contexts of colonization and
decolonization across the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and
Oceania. Chapter 7, "Ritual Language and Sacred Labor in Greater
Mexico" (Jennifer Scheper Hughes), examines the origins, social
development, and contemporary forms of cargo, a system of sacred labor
in Mexico and Central America. Chapter 8, "Ritual Speech and Text in
Early Cherokee Christianity" (Margaret Bender, Thomas N. Belt),
analyzes the interplay between Indigenous and Christianized practices
of preaching, singing, ritual healing, prayer, and other ritual forms
within Cherokee society. Chapter 9, "Colonial Rule, Modernity, and
Rituals of Royal Power in Morocco" (Abdelmajid Hannoum), discusses the
colonial origins of the Day of the Throne ceremonies and their
contrast with older royal traditions in North Africa. Chapter 10,
"Ritual, Media, and the Here-and-Now of Decolonization" (Courtney
Handman), investigates colonial propaganda in Australia that contested
Papua New Guinea’s independence movement in 1956. Chapter 11, "Ritual
Language and Forced Confessions in China" (Magnus Fiskesjö), continues
the focus on propaganda in a contemporary setting, analyzing the
circumstances, ritual features, and social impact of forced public
confessions by prominent anti-government activists.
Part IV, "Ritual Language, Cosmology, and Identity," examines rituals
related to territorial belonging and social self-definition. Chapter
12, "Language, Ritual, and Political Legitimation in Colonial
Guatemala" (Sergio Romero), investigates pre-Christian rituals in
Central America and their reception by Spanish authorities and various
Christian figures. Chapter 13, "Indigenous Territoriality and the
Mediation of Space and Scale in Ritual Language" (Paul Liffman),
focuses on the Wixarika people of Mexico, highlighting their ritual
understandings of territory in the context of conflicts with
construction companies seeking to exploit their lands. Chapter 14,
"Affectivity and Repetition in Amazonian Ceremonial Welcoming
Dialogues" (Alexandre Surrallés), explores the affective intensity of
communication during Amazonian welcoming rituals, which serve to
manage tension and establish a shared context among participants.
Chapter 15, "Language, Nahua Life-Cycle Rituals, and Indigenous
Identity" (Abelardo de la Cruz), presents testimonies and ceremonial
texts of Nahua ritual specialists that accompany individuals through
crucial life stages, from birth to death. Chapter 16, "Places That
Talk—and Listen: Southern Quechua" (Bruce Mannheim), examines Quechua
traditions of addressing places and living beings as communicative
entities, drawing on the ritual texts used in these practices.
Part V, "Ritual Speech and the Arts of Sociability," highlights the
ritual dimensions of everyday life. Chapter 17, "Drinking, Talking,
and Ritual Action" (Paul Manning), examines the traditions of toasting
and drinking in Georgia, including the institution of so-called sworn
siblings. Chapter 18, "Ritual Language and Police Discretion" (Sonia
N. Das), analyzes the ritualized features of police speech in contrast
to the anti-Black racist discourse of a man arrested for driving under
the influence. Chapter 19, "Ritual Language in West Africa:
Participation and Performance" (Nikolas Sweet), emphasizes ritual
participation and co-presence as important concepts for understanding
the sociological and anthropological contexts of West Africa. Chapter
20, "Language, Worldview, and Rituals of Daily Social Interaction"
(Sean O'Neill), investigates the expression of worldview in the
ceremonial speech practices of Native Northern California.
Finally, Part VI, "Ritual Language, Mediation, and Pluralism,"
examines ritualized interaction between different groups within a
society. Chapter 21, "Scalar Poetics in Ritual Language" (Adam Harr),
discusses the use of scalar poetics in the ritual register of the Lio
language (Indonesia), including its role in political speech. Chapter
22, "Rituals of Mourning and the Poetics of Papiamentu Talk Radio"
(Louis Römer), investigates the contemporary use of "Kuenta di Nanzi",
trickster stories of Curaçao, particularly in the context of
government criticism. Chapter 23, "Ritualized Learning and Endangered
Languages" (Morgan Siewert), addresses the ritual dimension of
language transition to the young generation, drawing on practices
among the Ojibwe people of Canada. Chapter 24, "Embodied Ritual
Performance and New Writing Systems" (Nishaant Choksi), explores the
emergence of new writing systems in Asia and Native America that are
closely connected to ritual practices, both visual and oral.
EVALUATION
"The Oxford Handbook of Ritual Language is a high-quality volume
presenting state-of-the-art papers in Ritual Studies. The collected
studies address various levels of ritual practices, from everyday
routines to royal ceremonies, and cover a wide geographical scope
across all populated continents. All chapters engage with pressing
issues such as social justice, identity formation, decolonization, and
pluralism.
It is important to note that although the studies in the Handbook
focus on language features, their approach is primarily
anthropological rather than linguistic. The boundaries between
neighboring disciplines can be difficult to draw, especially when they
share a common theoretical foundation, such as John L. Austin’s work
on performative utterances. Nevertheless, the authors in this volume
are concerned with higher-level language structures and engage with
cultural, contextual, intertextual, semiotic, and historical issues.
This is, of course, a fully legitimate approach. From a linguistic
perspective, however, I am convinced that the study of ritual language
could be further elaborated on lower levels as well. To illustrate
this, here are just a few examples of relevant works addressing
different levels of language: prosody (Adam 2025), lexicology
(Fagliolo 2024), and morphology (Zholobov 2017).
>From a structural point of view, it is noteworthy that David Tavárez,
the volume’s editor and co-author, provides readers with introductions
to the subsequent parts. These sections not only situate the
contributions within contemporary concepts and the work of
major scholars in Ritual Studies, but also pay particular attention to
the authors of the Handbook and their previous work. This editorial
strategy makes explicit the logic underlying the thematic division of
the book, even though the topics inevitably intersect and certain
chapters resonate across different parts. For instance, Chapter 22
("Rituals of mourning and the poetics of Papiamentu talk radio"),
placed in Part VI, "Ritual Language, Mediation, and Pluralism," also
addresses issues of colonialism and social practices closely related
to Parts III and V. Such overlaps highlight the strong
interconnections between the sections of the book and contribute to
its overall coherence, even while it remains necessary to define
distinct thematic blocks.
The chapters of the volume rest on a robust methodological foundation.
The authors draw on classical scholars such as John L. Austin (already
mentioned), Mikhail M. Bakhtin, Émile Durkheim, Claude Lévi-Strauss,
and Roman Jakobson, as well as on influential modern anthropologists
including Richard Bauman, James Collins, and Judith Irvine. Moreover,
the contributors are in dialogue with each other’s work, citing and
building upon their colleagues’ research. This demonstrates both the
continuity of the anthropological tradition and the integration of the
present volume within it.
As already noted, the Handbook embraces a wide range of cultures
across the globe, including some that may be unfamiliar to general
readers. This breadth is certainly one of the book’s strengths. At the
same time, such a multiplicity of data may leave non-specialists
somewhat disoriented, leading them to conclude that rituals belong
primarily to religious life or to exceptional contexts of state and
political performance — such as anti-colonial struggles, military
service, or propaganda. Although several chapters address rituals
embedded in everyday practices, readers without anthropological
training may find it difficult to recognize their own experiences in
these accounts. From my perspective, it would be valuable to pay more
attention to the ritual dimension of the most ordinary aspects of
life. While such topics are often self-evident to specialists — the
primary audience of the Handbook — they could serve as a bridge for
broader readership, helping to explain why rituals matter and how the
ritual life of different peoples can be compared. As an illustration,
one might recall studies on meal frequency (Lhuissier et al. 2013),
romantic relationships (Lindholm 2006), or exam-taking practices
(Rudski & Edwards 2007).
While one might raise minor questions regarding the methodological or
technical choices of individual contributors, these do not detract
from the consistently high quality of the studies presented. The
volume will be of considerable value not only to established scholars
in Anthropology, Linguistics, Religious Studies, Cultural Studies, and
Political Science, but also to students and researchers from diverse
backgrounds who wish to deepen their understanding of ritual.
Furthermore, the Handbook — both explicitly and implicitly — offers
numerous ideas for the study of cultures, traditions, ceremonies, and
social practices, providing ample inspiration for future research.
REFERENCES
Adam, Martin. The Dynamics of the Lord’s Prayer:  Exploring the
Interface of Perceived Emphasis, Unison Chanting, and Information
Structure. 2025. The International Journal of Religion and
Spirituality in Society 15(3). 95–114.
Fagliolo, Virna. Revisiting Hittite Prayer Lexicon: a Focus on
Heteroclitic Nouns and Light Verb  Constructions. 2024. Folia
Linguistica. https://doi.org/10.1515/flin-2024-0036
Lhuissier, Anne et alii. Who Still Eats Three Meals a Day? Findings
from a Quantitative Survey in the Paris Area. 2013. Appetite 63.
59–69.
Lindholm, Charles. Romantic Love and Anthropology. 2006 Etnofoor 19.
5–21.
Rudski, Jeffrey M. & Edwards, Ashleigh. Malinowski goes to college:
factors influencing students' use of ritual and superstition. 2007. J
Gen Psychol 134(4). 389-403.
Zholobov, Oleg F. Old Slavic Sermon Language: The Extraordinary Nature
of Verb Morphology in Cyril Turovskij’s Homilies. 2017. Slovene 6(2).
137–162.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Pavel Egizaryan is an independent researcher with a background in
Romance linguistics and a Ph.D. from Lomonosov Moscow State
University, where he wrote a dissertation on the expression of
futurity in European Portuguese. His academic interests extend beyond
tense–aspect systems and modality to include the study of religious
and ritual language, the linguistic features and intertextuality of
sacred texts, and the role of language in the history of Christianity.
He is also engaged in science communication and the popularization of
the humanities.



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