This book recognises ritualised performances as transnational and crosscultural phenomena, which are not only tied to and defined via national territories and identities but which also demand new theoretical and
methodological approaches towards the discussion of rituals and heritage. It explores the importance of ritual and ritual theory for discourses of authenticity and originality, thereby deepening our insight into concepts of cultural heritage, identity and nation in a globalised world.
The volume is the first interdisciplinary attempt to understand the significance of rituals and related performative traditions in the creation of grounded cultural identities, and ‘home’ and heritage as geographically experienceable locations. It assembles perspectives from social and cultural anthropology, performance studies, education and the arts which deal with the politics of revitalisation and preservation of ritualised traditions. While some chapters emphasise the ritualisation of cultural heritage by concentrating on power relations and politics, others explore how rituals as intangible heritage are strategically employed by different groups all over the world to make their claims public and to improve and negotiate their position on a local, national or global platform.