Awkward Rituals

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Focusing on the period between the American Revolution and the Civil War, the book explores how white Protestants engaged in rituals that mirrored monarchical authority, despite rejecting it. Dana Logan emphasizes embodied actions over traditional discourse, revealing how these awkward rituals reflect a tension between class-based society and proclaimed egalitarianism. Through various examples, including Freemason initiations and evangelical societies, the work challenges conventional views of ritual as inherently binding, presenting it instead as a performative obligation that reveals societal contradictions.