ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 examines the intricate relationship among rituals, cities and territorial belonging, arguing that urban rituals serve as forms of territorial appropriation that create inclusion and meaning. The chapter traces the historical evolution of cities from the Greek polis through medieval “free cities” to modern urban environments, emphasizing cities’ consistent role as spaces where the “materiality of places and vitality of bodies” combine to produce meaning. Drawing on Sennett’s book Flesh and Stone, the authors explore how cities create a “poetics of complicity” between humans and places, fostering both individual identity and collective belonging. The chapter addresses contemporary challenges of urban anonymisation and rationalisation, while highlighting how urban spaces resist neutralisation through citizen initiatives like guerrilla gardening and parkour. Central to the analysis is Victor Turner“s concept of “liminoid phenomena” – contemporary ritual experiences that differ from traditional liminal rites by being individual-initiated, intermittent and experimental. The chapter establishes three key elements of urban rituals: routine and repetition that create experiential patterns, symbolic transformation of objects and movements, and dramaturgical expressions that engage participants as performers, ultimately fostering the balance between competition and cooperation necessary for inclusive community building.
