Rituals and symbols can provide a sense of safety and protection, can help overcome crises, and may also accompany processes of social reform. In recognizing this, the ethnologist Victor W. Turner was not only one of the most important scholars in his discipline but also an influential pioneer of research on ritual and symbols. He created his own analytical tools and applied his concepts to phenomena in a very wide range of societies. This first comprehensive biography of Turner offers a better appreciation of the origins and development of his ideas and concepts, providing a better-informed view of his work.