Victor Turner
British cultural anthropologist known for his theories of ritual, liminality, and communitas; conducted influential fieldwork among the Ndembu in Zambia and later taught at the University of Chicago and the University of Virginia.
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. The Ritual Process
Structure and Anti-Structure
A study of how rituals, especially rites of passage, move participants through liminal phases in which ordinary hierarchies are suspended, fostering a powerful sense of communitas. It argues that this liminal “anti-structure” both challenges and renews social order, enabling transformation and eventual reintegration. Through analyses of symbolic action and social dramas, it shows how ritual processes resolve conflict, generate solidarity, and catalyze cultural change.
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2. From Ritual To Theatre
The Human Seriousness of Play
A concise exploration of how ritual processes, social dramas, and liminal experiences evolve into and inform theatrical performance, framing performance as a powerful mode of social inquiry and transformation. Drawing on case studies and theoretical reflection, it shows how liminality and communitas open reflexive spaces where participants and audiences experiment with symbols, identities, and power, renegotiating the tension between structure and anti-structure.
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