Discourse and the Construction of Society: Comparative Studies of Myth, Ritual, and Classification

by Bruce Lincoln

Book Overview

In this bold theoretical work, Bruce Lincoln explores the ways in which myth, ritual, and classification hold human societies together--and how, in times of crisis, they can be used to take a society apart and reconstruct it. Without overlooking the role of coercive force in the maintenance (or overthrow) of social structures, Lincoln argues his thesis with compelling illustrations drawn from such diverse areas as Platonic philosophy, the Upanishads...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195079094
• ISBN13: 9780195079098
• Release Date: December 1992
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 9.3" x 6.0"