The resilience and popularity of “non-rational” ritual practices performed for “rational” reasons represent an important window into key sociological and anthropological themes surrounding urbanization and modernization. Specifically, the widespread presence of sacred sites like small streetside shrines tucked into urban spaces call us to reexamine theoretical assumptions regarding the meanings of “magical” rites. Based on fieldwork in Japan and Hong Kong, this talk discusses preliminary reflections on our collaborative research project which looks at this set of issues through the lens of contemporary German theory of social practices (Bartmanski) and American anthropological frameworks (Gagné). It seeks to provide new perspectives on the theoretical and practical implications of the resilience of practices and rituals of magical control in modern societies. Details and registration here