Description:The six essays in Understanding Rituals examine ritual within the context of contemporary social anthropology. They show how diverse theoretical viewpoints lead to the common belief that rituals now constitute one of the most fertile fields of anthropological research. The contributors' cross-cultural analysis links the Vedic time to the present situation in India; a West African society to Wittgenstein's theories; compares the different modes of participation in a Nuba village of Sudan, as well as the confrontation between Punjabi and English communities in a London suburb.