The American Ritual Tapestry: Social Rules and Cultural Meanings

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American rituals are vital to the creation and renewal of cultural meanings and rules for social interaction. These rituals are rooted in tradition yet are rapidly changing: a contradiction of hyper-modern society. This phenomenon was first explored by Professor Deegan in her 1989 study American Ritual Dramas. The theory examines both participatory rituals and mass-media rituals to show how everyday people become attached to and alienated from other rituals. Elaborating on the critical dramaturgy theory, the essays in this collection show how patterns can be changed to create a more emancipatory and celebratory society. The topics covered in the collection include an analysis of Santa Claus, skinheads, hate crimes, and strip dancing, among other topics. Each contributor has participated in these rituals and many examine related cultural artifacts such as music, brochures, and so forth. As the essays show, postmodern theory has gratly underestimated the power and coherence of these events. An important study for scholars and other researchers involved with sociological theory, social psychology, and popular culture.

Author Bio

MARY JO DEEGAN is Professor of Sociology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interests include theory, methods, women, disability, and the history of sociology. She has published more than 80 articles, chapters, and books, including American Ritual Dramas (Greenwood, 1989) and Women in Sociology (Greenwood, 1991), and coedited With Her in Ourland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Greenwood, 1997).