Ritual Inversion and Mitigating Rites as Components of Ritual Violence
This chapter focuses on ritual inversion as a phenomenon as well as what the author calls mitigating rites. While ritual inversion might transform agents into patients; advocates and defenders into antagonistic aggressors; or routine, nonviolent and, frequently, beneficial rites into hostile, punitive ritual acts, mitigating rites are an instrument used to diminish the negative effects of violent, injurious ritual action, and include both commonplace rites such as mourning and burial and exceptional ritual acts such as extended vigils. Although ritual inversion is a phenomenon attested in contexts far removed from violent rites as well as in settings of ritual violence, mitigating rites are by definition always connected to punitive, violent rites since their function is specifically to lessen the baleful impact of such ritual violence in its aftermath.