P 17 - Rituals of Science

Chair: Prof. William Sax william.sax@urz.uni-heidelberg.de

Download preliminary daily schedule here (pdf)
(for better readability kindly print it out)

Common activities:

Reception
On Monday, 29 September, we will officially open the conference with a reception from 19.30 to 22.30

Key Note Lecture
Tuesday, 30 September:
Key Note Speaker Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jan Assmann
"Magie und Ritual"

Plenary Discussion
Wednesday, 1 October at 18.00 introductory presentation:
Prof. Dr. Christoph Wulf, Freie Universität Berlin
"The Future of the Science of Ritual in a transcultural Context"

Exchange meeting
Thursday, 2 October from 9:00 - 12:00:
Exchange meeting between scientists from the German Archaeological Institute
and the Collaborative Research Center SFB 619

Speakers (synonym for referee, panelist, active participant)

Day 1 – Monday, 29 September 2008

11:00-11:45 William Sax

Foucault, Latour, and the Rituals of Science

11:45-12:30 Alexander Henn

Passion For Praxis: Miracles, Rituals and Science

14:00-14:45 Johannes Quack

Ritual and Rationalism in India and the Social Science

14:45-15:30    Harish Naraindas
                        Sacraments for the Dead?
                        Stillbirths and the Science of Grieving in an American Hospital

16:00-16:45    Kim Gutschow
                        Mothers, Midwives, and Monks:
                        The Ritualization of Obstetrics in the Indian Himalaya

16:45-17:30    Stefan Ecks
                        Rituals of substance: Biomedical prescribing practices in India

Day 2 – Tuesday, 30 September 2008

9:00-9:45      Ferdinand Okwaro
                        Ritual and Science in Traditional Healing in Africa

9:45-10:30    Ritika Ganguly
                        Performing “Culture” in “Science”:
                        Complex spaces in a collaborative
                        Ayurvedic research laboratory in India

11:00-11:45    Marian Füssel
                        Rituale in der Krise?
                        Zum Wandel akademischer Ritualkultur im Zeitalter der Aufklärung

11:45-12:30    Jochen Schweitzer
                        Rituals in organizational change processes

14:00-14:45    Julika Zwack and Jan Weinhold
                        Rituals of Acceleration and Deceleration in Medical Organisations

Abstract

Science creates itself by excluding "rituals", which it considers to be irrational and ineffective. This is explicit in the medical literature, which defines rituals as actions that do not contribute to therapeutic efficacy, and which should therefore be identified and eliminated. Scholars of ritual, on the other hand, have claimed that rituals are part of most activities, including scientific ones. In this panel, we address the relationship between science, ritual, and ritualization. Are ritual and ritualization to be found in the laboratory, the operating theatre, and the classroom? If so, what is their relationship to normative "science"?

German version

Wissenschaft definiert sich häufig in Abgrenzung gegenüber Ritualen, die als irrational und ineffektiv gesehen werden und folglich Ausschluss finden. Explizit zeigt sich dies in der medizinischen Literatur, wo Rituale als Handlungen definiert werden, die keine therapeutische Wirksamkeit besitzen und somit zu eliminieren sind. Ritualforscher haben hingegen aufgezeigt, dass Rituale zentrale Bestandteile nahezu aller Aktivitäten sind und dass auch der als „reine Wissenschaft“ verstandene Sektor davon keineswegs ausgenommen ist. Im Mittelpunkt dieses Panels stehen die Beziehungen und Wechselwirkungen zwischen Wissenschaft, Ritual und Ritualisierung. Welche Rituale und Ritualisierungsprozesse lassen sich in Laboren, Operationssälen und Klassenzimmern finden, und in welchem Verhältnis stehen sie zu einer als normativ verstandenen „Wissenschaft“?

HOME PROGRAMME PANELS REGISTRATION EVENTS TRAVEL MEDIA
SFB 619 Sponsors & Partners Poster Send to a Colleague Contact Imprint	Chair person Chair: Prof. William Sax William ('Bo') Sax received his PhD in Anthropology at the University of Chicago in 1987, after which he spent two years at Harvard University in the prestigious Harvard Academy Scholars program. After that he realized a lifelong dream by moving to New Zealand, where he taught Religious Studies at the University of Canterbury for eleven years. He has spent more than ten years in India, focusing his research on the culture of Uttarakhand in the Central Himalayas. Bo has written monographs on ritual and drama, a local goddess cult, and most recently on ritual healing. Since 2000 he has been head of the Department of Anthropology at the South Asia Institute, of which he is currently the director. His current research focuses on ritual healing, modernity, and the oral traditions of the Central Himalayas. > Abstract > German version P 17 - Rituals of Science Chair: Prof. William Sax william.sax@urz.uni-heidelberg.de Download preliminary daily schedule here (pdf) (for better readability kindly print it out) Common activities: Reception On Monday, 29 September, we will officially open the conference with a reception from 19.30 to 22.30 Key Note Lecture Tuesday, 30 September: Key Note Speaker Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jan Assmann "Magie und Ritual" Plenary Discussion Wednesday, 1 October at 18.00 introductory presentation: Prof. Dr. Christoph Wulf, Freie Universität Berlin "The Future of the Science of Ritual in a transcultural Context" Exchange meeting Thursday, 2 October from 9:00 - 12:00: Exchange meeting between scientists from the German Archaeological Institute and the Collaborative Research Center SFB 619 Speakers (synonym for referee, panelist, active participant) Day 1 – Monday, 29 September 2008 11:00-11:45 William Sax Foucault, Latour, and the Rituals of Science 11:45-12:30 Alexander Henn Passion For Praxis: Miracles, Rituals and Science 14:00-14:45 Johannes Quack Ritual and Rationalism in India and the Social Science 14:45-15:30 Harish Naraindas Sacraments for the Dead? Stillbirths and the Science of Grieving in an American Hospital 16:00-16:45 Kim Gutschow Mothers, Midwives, and Monks: The Ritualization of Obstetrics in the Indian Himalaya 16:45-17:30 Stefan Ecks Rituals of substance: Biomedical prescribing practices in India Day 2 – Tuesday, 30 September 2008 9:00-9:45 Ferdinand Okwaro Ritual and Science in Traditional Healing in Africa 9:45-10:30 Ritika Ganguly Performing “Culture” in “Science”: Complex spaces in a collaborative Ayurvedic research laboratory in India 11:00-11:45 Marian Füssel Rituale in der Krise? Zum Wandel akademischer Ritualkultur im Zeitalter der Aufklärung 11:45-12:30 Jochen Schweitzer Rituals in organizational change processes 14:00-14:45 Julika Zwack and Jan Weinhold Rituals of Acceleration and Deceleration in Medical Organisations Abstract Science creates itself by excluding "rituals", which it considers to be irrational and ineffective. This is explicit in the medical literature, which defines rituals as actions that do not contribute to therapeutic efficacy, and which should therefore be identified and eliminated. Scholars of ritual, on the other hand, have claimed that rituals are part of most activities, including scientific ones. In this panel, we address the relationship between science, ritual, and ritualization. Are ritual and ritualization to be found in the laboratory, the operating theatre, and the classroom? If so, what is their relationship to normative "science"? German version Wissenschaft definiert sich häufig in Abgrenzung gegenüber Ritualen, die als irrational und ineffektiv gesehen werden und folglich Ausschluss finden. Explizit zeigt sich dies in der medizinischen Literatur, wo Rituale als Handlungen definiert werden, die keine therapeutische Wirksamkeit besitzen und somit zu eliminieren sind. Ritualforscher haben hingegen aufgezeigt, dass Rituale zentrale Bestandteile nahezu aller Aktivitäten sind und dass auch der als „reine Wissenschaft“ verstandene Sektor davon keineswegs ausgenommen ist. Im Mittelpunkt dieses Panels stehen die Beziehungen und Wechselwirkungen zwischen Wissenschaft, Ritual und Ritualisierung. Welche Rituale und Ritualisierungsprozesse lassen sich in Laboren, Operationssälen und Klassenzimmern finden, und in welchem Verhältnis stehen sie zu einer als normativ verstandenen „Wissenschaft“?

Chair person

Chair: Prof. William Sax