ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of eight urban ritual case studies across Geneva, Turin and Montreal, developing a typology of territorial inclusion rituals. Through Boolean logic analysis, the authors identify four distinct ritual types: Traditional rituals (like Geneva’s Escalade and Turin’s St. John) characterised by broad population involvement but static narratives that struggle to adapt to evolving urban demographics; Open storytelling rituals (like Montreal’s Newborn Gala) that explicitly address inclusion with malleable narratives allowing participant contribution; Spontaneous rituals (like Montreal’s Tam-Tams and Turin’s fountain bathing) featuring strong bottom-up organisation and emotional engagement but institutional fragility; and Institutional rituals (like Geneva Festivals) organised top-down with limited community involvement. The chapter proposes six key variables for effective territorial inclusion: social inclusiveness, territorial inclusiveness, participation, legitimisation, emotionality and cyclicity. The analysis reveals that successful urban rituals require explicit inclusive narratives, collaborative organisation involving civil society, institutional legitimacy, emotional engagement through bodily involvement and regular repetition to establish long-term territorial belonging. The chapter concludes by advocating for public policies that support ritual diversity across different territorial scales and population groups, recognizing that no single ritual type perfectly achieves inclusion, but rather their collective presence creates comprehensive territorial belonging.
