Please don’t repeat this

Gossip as Ritual Criticism

Abstract

What happens when an ethnographer gossips about ritual with interlocutors? What do the contents of these exchanges reveal about the ritual performances being discussed? The extracts of gossip exchanges between the ethnographer, Newar Buddhist priests, ritual sponsors, and other participants demonstrate that through gossiping, people create the space to express ritual criticism. Through these intersubjective gossiping sessions, focused on the actions of ritual performers during the offering ritual known as chāhāyekegu, people come to express their opinions about proper ritual procedure, thereby defining what is appropriate and inappropriate. Gossip-cum-ritual criticism allows people to share their views on ritual mistakes and proper procedure, albeit never their own shortcomings. While these conversations run the risk of making the ethnographer uncomfortable, ethnographers must follow these invitations to gossip since they provide a unique perspective on how interlocutors understand and engage with rituals.