ABSTRACT
The unity of a given ritual is a dramatic unity. It is in this sense a kind of work of art. If unity, then, must be regarded as the product, and not the premise, of ritual action, it must further be supposed that a ritual sequence arises out of some condition of social disunity, actual or potential. Thus, the typical development of a ritual sequence is from the public expression of a wish to cure a patient and redress breaches in the social structure, through exposure of hidden animosities, to the renewal of social bonds in the course of a protracted ritual full of symbolism. A repetitive social system is constituted by customs that make for recurrent series of social events, like the rebellion cycle in the Zulu kingship, described by Gluckman, or the developmental cycle of the Yao village, discussed by Mitchell.
