On the impossibility of invariant repetition: ritual, tradition and creativity among Sri Lankan ritual specialists

Author: Bob Simpson

Source: History and Anthropology, Volume 15, Number 3, September 2004 , pp. 301-316(16)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

This article sets out to explore the strategic creativity that underlies supposedly invariant ritual performance. The ethnographic focus is on a group of Sri Lankan ritual specialists and the way they present the past in terms of mythical, historical and genealogical relationships that give power and legitimacy to their performances of healing rituals in the present. The analysis brings together local notions of "tradition" with ideas of performance and embodiment. The conclusion takes up the idea that, far from being the dead weight of tradition, invariance is a performative illusion of considerable ingenuity and persuasive power. Indeed, it is a fundamental means whereby the authority and power of ritual is maximized in performance.

Keywords: Sri Lanka; Ritual; Performance; Tradition; Creativity

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0275720042000257412

Publication date: 2004-09-01

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