Catholicism and the Study of Religion

Abstract

This chapter argues that deeper knowledge about Catholic religiosity – regarding theological ideas, rituals as well as everyday practice – is important to allow for a shift in perspective so as to bring into the picture aspects that remain blind spots as long as religion is explored through a mentalistic (Protestant) lens. Turning to Catholicism as an alternative archive allows for a critique of the Protestant legacy that shaped the master narrative of modernity as well as the study of religion across the world and offers fresh insights for conceptualizing and approaching religion from a material angle. The point is that paying attention to Catholic religiosity is helpful to further flesh out an approach to religion that acknowledges the role of the body, objects and human practice in generating a sense of divine presence. This approach should ultimately transcend the mental-material distinction, as well as the spectrum of Christianity.

Practicing Religion during a Pandemic: On Religious Routines, Embodiment, and Performativity

“…Accordingly, social and physical distancing create barriers to maintaining religious embodied practices. By drawing attention to the importance of the body, emotions, and senses, we can challenge the cognitive framework in which religion is often placed (Meyer 2017). Capponi and Araújo (2020) aptly speak about the 'crisis of the body' in their study on the impact of the COVID-19 measures on Afro-Brazilian religions.…”

“…3 This emphasis on the senses fits well with the turn to the body and materiality within the anthropology of religion. Moreover, the Catholic tradition has been characterized with a corporeal religiosity and is known for its focus on body techniques, objects, and rituals (Meyer 2017).…”