Universities are among the most ritualistic institutions in the modern world - yet their customs are often taken for granted or dismissed as quaint. The Ritual Year takes readers through the full arc of academic ceremony: initiation, examination, celebration, and the secret practices whispered about in between.

Drawing on history, anthropology, and first-hand accounts from institutions across the globe, Amelia Wren reveals how these traditions forge identity, reinforce hierarchy, and persist in ways that even their participants rarely question.

A compelling exploration of why, in an age of disruption, we still mark the future with the rituals of the past.