Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Acknowledgments vii
3. Contents ix
4. Introduction From the General to the Particular and the Construction of Totalities 1
5. I. Ritual as Thought and Action
6. 1. The Magical Power of Words 17
7. 2. Form and Meaning of Magical Acts 60
8. 3. A Thai Cult of Healing through Meditation 87
9. 4. A Performative Approach to Ritual 123
10. II. Cosmologies and Classifications as Thought and Action
11. 5. Animals Are Good to Think and Good to Prohibit 169
12. 6. From Varna to Caste through Mixed Unions 212
13. 7. The Galactic Polity in Southeast Asia 252
14. 8. On Flying Witches and Flying Canoes: The Coding of Male and Female Values 287
15. 9. A Reformulation of Geertz’s Conception of the Theater State 316
16. Conclusion An Anthropologist's Creed 339
17. References Notes Sources Index
18. References 361
19. Notes 376
20. Sources 405
21. Index 407