Archive | 2021
Mapping the scientific study of rituals: A bibliometric analysis of research published 2000-2020
Abstract
I present a bibliometric review of research on ritual published from 2000 till 2020. A search conducted on Nov 22, 2020 using the Web of Science Core Collection identified 16,600 publications. Analysis of publication outlets, keywords and author networks suggests distinct clusters, with a strong focus on ritual in archaeology (which dominated when examining publication outlets). Other strong publication outlets included religious/theological and anthropological/ethnographic journals. In terms of research clusters and impact, clinical work focusing on obsessive compulsive behavior and neuroscience as well as developmental psychology research showed high impact beyond the field of ritual. Evolutionary research on ritual has increased in strength and impact, with a strong focus on signalling as a theoretical framework. Changes in research trends suggest a maturation and specialization of ritualistic research over the last 20 years, with greater isolation and disconnectedness of individual research groups, but increasing centrality of ‘behavior/evolution’ themes.