Adam B. Seligman
American scholar of religion and sociologist, professor at Boston University, known for work on civil society, modernity, ritual, and coexistence; author of The Idea of Civil Society and co-author of Ritual and Its Consequences; founding director of the CEDAR (Communities Engaging with Difference and Religion) program.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. Ritual And Its Consequences: An Essay On The Limits Of Sincerity
An Essay on the Limits of Sincerity
This essay argues that ritual, with its formal “as if” performances, offers a shared framework that sustains social life amid ambiguity and difference, in contrast to modern ideals of sincerity and authenticity. Through comparative cases from religious, cultural, and therapeutic settings, it shows how ritual can enable civility, coexistence, and moral imagination, while also acknowledging its constraints. It contends that relying solely on sincerity can intensify conflict, whereas ritualized forms help negotiate pluralism without demanding inner agreement.
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