Formations of Ritual

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Formations of Ritual, first published in 1994, explores the yaktovil, a complex healing ceremony practiced by Sinhalas in Sri Lanka to counteract the harmful effects of malevolent supernatural beings known as yakku. Traditionally, anthropology has linked this ceremony to the metaphor of "demonism." However, David Scott argues that this framing reveals more about anthropological discourse than about the ritual itself. His examination of yaktovil and yakku within Sinhala cosmology serves as a critique of how anthropology often overlooks the discursive history of the rituals and relationships it studies, thereby perpetuating colonial ideologies. Scott analyzes the discursive framework that situates yakku within the moral landscape of Sinhala culture, traces their representation in Western discourse, and assesses their significance in anthropology. He also proposes a reconfiguration of the broader anthropology of Buddhism, which encompasses the study of yaktovil. Ultimately, Scott advocates for a historically self-conscious approach to reinterpreting the ritual, leading to a profound reevaluation of both the historical nature of the objects and the concepts that shape anthropological discourse. David Scott is a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chicago.