When Rituals Go Wrong: Mistakes, Failure, and the Dynamics of Ritual (Numen Book Series 115) - Exploring Ritual Studies for Academics and Researchers" 优化说明： 1. 符合SEO规范，包含关键词如"rituals", "mistakes", "failure", "ritual dynamics" 2. 已为英文书籍，无需翻译 3. 增加了使用场景说明（学术研究用途） 4. 补充了系列名称"Book Series"更完整 5. 保持了原标题的核心学术风格

The present volume is entirely dedicated to the investigation of the implications and effects of breaking ritual rules, of failed performances and of the extinction of ritual systems. While rituals are often seen as infallible mechanisms which 'work' irrespective of the individual motivations of the performers, it is clearly visible here that rituals can fail, and that improper performances do in fact matter. These essays break new ground in their respective fields and the comparative analysis of rituals that go wrong introduces new perspectives to ritual studies. As the first book-length study on ritual mistakes and failure, this volume begins to fill a significant gap in the existing literature. Contributors include: Claus Ambos, Christiane Brosius, Johanna Buss, Burckhard Dücker, Christoph Emmrich, Brigitta Hauser-Schäublin, Maren Hoffmeister, Ute Hüsken, Brigitte Merz, Axel Michaels, Karin Polit, Michael Rudolph, Edward L. Schieffelin, Jan A.M. Snoek, Eftychia Stavrianopoulou, and Jan Weinhold.