wl-7002-Ritual Politics as a Cultural Intervention to Political Movements

As a conceptual understanding, ritual has enjoyed considerable theorisation within various social science disciplines. Predominantly sacredness has been prescribed as the distinctive character of ritual. When extended to apparent secular space, its self-preservative characters are disproportionately emphasised. This has led to a deep insertion of ritual to state thinking, made possible by the assumption that rituals are static, conservative and promote stability, making it readily susceptible to manipulation by authoritative institutions. However, a different strand of thought sees ritual as capable of change and transformation. The creative potential for ritual experiences a palpable expression in its interaction with politics, especially in political and protest movements. The concept of ritual politics is apt to articulate this creativity, making visible the unseen cultural symbols and religious spirits that still occupy deeply in the minds of the people and their politics. Ritual politics draws out ritual's political natures and how ritual deeply influences our politics. Movements or protests, or any minor acts of resistance, have always taken recourse and inspiration from everyday life experiences within the cultural realm.