On Spiritual Edgework: The Logic of Extreme Ritual Performances

Religion as a socialform is constructed to provide adherents with a sense of empowerment and control. Rituals that involve a risk of physical or psychological injury or even death therefore would appear anomalous and indeed are frequently the objects of social scientific and journalistic denigration...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the scientific study of religion 2007-09, Vol.46 (3), p.287-303
Main Author: BROMLEY, DAVID G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Churches
Coal
Death Rituals
Empowerment
Firewalking
History and sciences of religions
Holiness
Individual Collective Relationship
Injuries
Logic
New age culture
Personal empowerment
Psychology
Religion
Religious practices
Religious rituals
Religious sociology
Religious studies
Rites & ceremonies
Ritual
Rituals
Science
Snakes
Social construction
Social Constructionism
Sociology
Sociology of religion
Spirituality
Studies in religion
Traditions
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Summary:Religion as a socialform is constructed to provide adherents with a sense of empowerment and control. Rituals that involve a risk of physical or psychological injury or even death therefore would appear anomalous and indeed are frequently the objects of social scientific and journalistic denigration. Firewalking and serpent handling exemplify such rituals. I argue that these two radical ritual practices, which I term spiritual edgework, provide a valuable sociological window on how radical ritual practices are socially constructed. The social construction process involves the identification of a mythically relevant edge that offers: both contingency and certainty; individual and collective preparation for the impending edgework during which tensions are elevated for later ritual resolution; a ritualized process for successfully navigating the edge; and postedgework accounts that neutralize potential disconfirming injuries or deaths.
ISSN:0021-8294
1468-5906
DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2007.00359.x