© Equinox Publishing Ltd. 2018, Office 415, The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX ISIT 2.1 (2018) 71–82 Interreligious Studies and Intercultural Theology (print) ISSN 2397-3471 https://doi.org/10.1558/isit.33586 Interreligious Studies and Intercultural Theology (online) ISSN 2397-348X Toward the Field of Interrituality: Challenges and Opportunities Sheryl A. KujAwA-holbrooK ClAremont SChool of theology skujawaholbrook@cst.edu AbstrAct Ritual is an essential part of human social experience, and yet there has been comparatively little discussion about the role of inter- rituality within religious experiences. This article traces some of the major themes in this dialogue as taken from the conversation begun in Volume 2 of Interreligious Studies and Intercultural Theology, guest edited by Professor Marianne Moyaert. Further, this article makes a case for the inclusion of the study of interrituality as an integral part of interreligious experience. Keywords ritual, interrituality, spiritual practice, interreligious learning, multiple religious belonging, postcolonial, rites of passage, social justice Introduction Ritual is an essential and universal aspect of human social experience. Every day billions of people across the world participate in religious rituals. Shared rituals are often included in local interreligious activities and festivals, yet the study of interrituality has not yet found a secure home within interreligious studies. Across religious traditions there are concerns that interrituality is more potentially divisive than a positive mechanism for interreligious encounters. Some of this bias springs from within religious traditions themselves. For some traditions, ritual practice is seen as a primary means for the expression of religious experience; in other traditions, the use of images and symbol carry the potential for idolatry. Within other religious traditions interrituality brings with it concerns about syncretism, or the belief that shared rituals imply that the particularities of individual traditions are lost in favour of an unsatisfying compromise. Sometimes experiments in interrituality can devolve into debates about religious doctrines, rather than as a source for building mutual understanding. It is also the case that throughout the history of interreligious encounters there are unfortunate examples of situations where the ritual practice of