Sacred Spaces And Contested Identities: Space and Ritual Dynamics in Europe and Africa

Philip Nel

ISBN 10: 1592219551 / ISBN 13: 9781592219551

Editore: Africa World Press, 2014

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Sacred Spaces and Contested Identities: Space and Ritual Dynamics in Europe and Africa explores how religious spaces shapeâ "and are shaped byâ "social identity, power, and cultural memory. Bringing together case studies from both continents, the book examines how rituals, sacred landscapes, and communal practices become arenas for negotiation, conflict, and belonging. It highlights the ways in which sacred sites can reinforce tradition, challenge authority, or become focal points of political and cultural tension. A rich, interdisciplinary resource for readers interested in anthropology, religious studies, cultural geography, and the dynamics of sacred space. Photograph available on request.

Codice articolo mon0001642707

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Sacred Spaces And Contested Identities: Space and Ritual Dynamics in Europe and Africa
• Editore: Africa World Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 1592219551
• ISBN 13: 9781592219551
• Rilegatura: paperback
• Condizione: Very Good

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

The fundamental changes in society and culture are forcing us to reconsider the position of sacred space, and to do this within the broader context of ritual and religious dynamics and what is called a 'spatial turn'. Conversely, sacred sites are a privileged way of studying current cultural dynamics. This collection of studies on sacred space concerns itself with both perspectives by exploring place-bound dynamics of the sacred in Africa and Europe.

Central concepts in this connection are identity and ownership, and contestation and conflict. Cultural dynamics, identities and ownership, and contestations are very much interrelated. The essays and cases show that, via these contested fields and the contested grounds connected with them, identities are always at stake. One can think here of identities in the sense of local, regional and national delineations and profiles of group cultures in contact. One can also think here of the religious interactions that are currently taking place in religiously pluralistic Africa and Europe. Identities, however, are always nested in several echelons, and, especially in the non-book religions, sacred sites with their rituals may enhance cohesion at any level of society, while at the same time bonding and separating groups.

Informazioni sull?autore

Paul Post is Professor of Ritual Studies (School of Humanities, Tilburg University (NL)). His main interests are in the field of current ritual dynamics, religious popular culture (pilgrimage). Philip Nel is a scholar of Ancient Near Eastern and Afro-Asiatic Studies and in 2007 he established a Centre for Africa Studies where he is currently an associate researcher. Walter van Beek, an anthropologist, is Professor of Anthropology of Religion (School of Humanities, Tilburg University).