Working on a research proposal on ritual dialogue in contemporary plural society, I found this interesting anthropological study on naturalization ceremonies in the Netherlands. These “initiation” rituals have been introduced by the Dutch government in 2006 and are obligatory in the process of becoming a Dutch citizen. Similar ceremonies are common in other countries, such as the US, UK or Germany. In his book on “Ritual citizenship” Anthropologist Oskar Verkaaik critically analyses these ceremonies and questions what is really transformed here. If I understand his analysis correctly, he states that it is more a ceremony for the civil servants than actually a transformation of the newly initiated Dutch citizens. He observes that the introduction of these new rituals are an expression of a new Dutch nationalism and neo-liberal politics. I am wondering what ingredients are necessary in ritual in order to be inclusive rather than exclusive? I guess ritual  is always excluding: those who are not participating in the ceremony, but what makes an initiation rite “successful”? How much of your “old” identity is necessary to include in order to transform into a new one?