摘要：Margaret Visser’s most recent work explores the rituals surrounding oaths and how the changingsolemnity of the process affects trust in the modern world. The following synopsis provides an indicationof the connections she will be examining:“By ‘swearing’ many people today most easily mean ‘using rude words.’ Angry expletives are usuallyglancing references to swearing in the full sense, where a solemn declaration is accompanied by ritualsdesigned to engender trust in what is being said. How do – or did – such words and actions operate?
