Abstract
Rituals are not atemporal, infallible devices that always "work" regardless of the performers' motivations and social contexts in which they are embedded. Rituals are social and historical constructs sometimes considered to be unsatisfying or useless by the participants.
They might even "fail" and are then recast, abandoned or replaced. Highlighting the flexibility and polysemy of rituals, recent studies have emphasized the relevance of a diachronic approach that considers the experience of the actors engaged in the performance, how they criticize and reinvent it, and the ways in which they appropriate alternative ritual models.
This workshop aims to investigate the processes of transformation, circulation and transfer of rituals in South Asia. Whether adjusting a "traditional" ritual form in a new social, political or religious context, or integrating new media - writing, audio or video - to diffuse a religious message, the papers will highlight the different ways in which actors reshape their ritual practices and invent new liturgical forms.