This is an inclusive and sensitive volume with a creative spirit. It offers bottom-up, rich analyses of lived experiences in ways that are reflective and intellectually rooted. The book has clear relevance to scholarly discourse on religion and gender within the UK and beyond.

Alex D. J. Fry

Bournemouth University

Author of 'Gender Inequality in the Ordained Ministry of the Church of England'

This volume offers an interdisciplinary exploration of rituals and rites through analytical, feminist, sociological and philosophical lenses. The authors invite readers to reflect on their own beliefs and biases, positioning self-awareness as central to understanding religious and secular ritualistic experiences. By blending academic analysis with personal reflection, the book brings together the intellectual and the spiritual, showing how rituals, both sacred and secular, shape identity, meaning, and belonging.

What makes this work compelling is its emphasis on lived experience. Rituals are examined not as abstract practices but as transformative acts that connect individuals to their communities and nature. Women’s experiences are placed at the centre and the suggestion is that spirituality can serve as empowerment, resistance, and renewal. Through its interdisciplinary approach drawing from feminism, anthropology, sociology, and philosophy, the book highlights how personal spirituality and cultural context intertwine.

The authors’ concluding reflections bring the themes full circle, reminding readers that ritual is universal, transcending boundaries of belief and tradition. This is a cohesive, reflective, and deeply human study that invites readers to engage not only with the subject matter but also with their own inner worlds.

A nuanced and insightful work that expands our understanding of spirituality in precarious times.

Ayşe Çirçir

Erzurum Technical University, Turkey