Conclusion

Abstract

Abstract This chapter summarizes the main arguments and findings of the book and presents brief comparative case studies of contentious rituals in Jerusalem and India. In reviewing the book, the chapter reiterates that explaining participation in loyalist parades in Northern Ireland requires understanding their ritual nature. Theories that do not account for this cannot fully explain why people choose to take part in contentious rituals. The chapter then examines comparative contentious rituals. Scholars who have closely studied why people participate in these contested events in Jerusalem and India come to conclusions similar to the ones in this book: that participants are drawn by the benefits intrinsic to the very experience of participation in symbol-laden public rituals tied to their collective identities. The chapter concludes by suggesting that contentious rituals are the purview of majority groups, not minorities, and that they require intimate knowledge about the rival community.