Social Customs and Demographic Change: The Case of Godparenthood in Catholic Europe

Alfani, Guido; Gourdon, Vincent; Vitali, Agnese

doi:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2012.01659.x

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(14 reference statements)

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“…I will show that there has been a shift away from choosing godparents from a combination of relatives and nonrelatives (in Hungarian koma-s) to practically always relatives, predominantly brothers and sisters. This is in keeping with both nationwide Hungarian and pan-European trends; 8 however, in light of my earlier data and broader knowledge of the village, I am able to go deeper than most anthropological studies in drawing out the implications of these transformations. One of the primary roles of compadres-that of being available to help each other in a variety of economic activities-has fallen victim to the shift.…”

supporting

confidence: 62%

Blood Is Thicker than Water

Vidacs

2017

Journal of Family History

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The research took place in two time periods thirty years apart (in 1980-1981 under socialism and in 2009-2010 under the emerging market economy, following the regime change of 1989). It documents the shift from choosing godparents from a combination of relatives and nonrelatives to practically always relatives. After a brief literature review, the article discusses the place of godparenthood in the village in the 1980s, including how godparents were "recruited" and the introduction of the socialist, civil "name-giving ceremony." Compadres acquired in the civil ceremony were treated similarly to those acquired through baptism, and the "name-giving" system was integrated into the overall system of godparenthood in terms of terminology, obligations, honors, and cooperation in rituals and labor exchange. The latter was an important part of village life: relatives, neighbors, and compadres participated roughly equally. It also contributed to the synergies developed between the production cooperative and peasant household production under socialism. Following 1989, the cooperative closed and labor opportunities declined; labor exchange was replaced by market relations in all aspects of life. The results of a questionnaire on choosing godparents show that the switch from unrelated friends to relatives as godparents was long in the making, slowed somewhat by the contrary trend under the oppressive political circumstances of the early 1950s, indicating that the villagers tried to cement their networks by choosing unrelated compadres. By now, as more and more people are leaving the village, they choose relatives exclusively as if to try to strengthen family ties in the face of modernization and globalization.

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supporting

confidence: 62%

Blood Is Thicker than Water

Vidacs

2017

Journal of Family History

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“…Indeed, a recent enquiry into the Italian and French cases showed that, in the 1980s, more than three-quarters of godparents were selected from close kin, with uncles and aunts of the baptized being the most common choice (Alfani et al 2012). This is a situation entirely different from that found, in the same areas, from the Middle Ages until the seventeenth century and after, suggesting that a transformation took place in between.…”

Section: From the Eighteenth Century Until Todaymentioning

confidence: 96%

“…More specifically about the economic use of godparenthood, Alfani andGourdon (2006, 2012c) and Alfani (2012). 8.…”

Section: From the Eighteenth Century Until Todaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Spiritual Kinship Between Formal Norms and Actual Practice: A Comparative Analysis in the Long Run (from the Early Middle Ages Until Today)

Alfani

2017

New Directions in Spiritual Kinship

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In Christian societies during the late Middle Ages, baptism did not merely represent a solemn and public recognition of the "natural" birth of a child. Rather, it was considered a second birth, a "spiritual birth" within a group of relatives normally different from that based on blood relations: the spiritual family, composed of godfathers and godmothers. Both for the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, the baptismal ceremony established a tie of kinship between the people involved in the ceremony. This kind of kinship was called "spiritual" (in Latin, cognatio spiritualis) to distinguish it from others and in particular from the "natural" kinship (cognatio naturalis) connecting the baptized to his or her parents and blood relations.

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“…This would reinforce the notion of welcoming the individual into communion with God and the eternal family of God, rather than faith in solitude (Graff-Kallevåg 2017). The role of godparents within these contrasting cultures is also worthy of further investigation, since they epitomise spiritual kinship for the family along their faith journey (Alfani, Gourdon, and Vitali 2012). It is possible that constructive godparent relationships could form a bridge across these contrasting ideas.…”

Section: The Cultures Of the Church Family And Baptism Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming the resourcing of christenings in the Anglican diocese of Liverpool

Holmes

2020

Practical Theology

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In order to improve the engagement and retention of families in Anglican churches nationally, the Church of England sought to improve support and resourcing of ministries amongst baptism families. Sharing this vision, the Liverpool Diocese partnered with the National Church in order to explore the issues, needs and opportunities within the Liverpool Diocese. This project became known locally as the 'Three Steps to Christening' initiative. Participatory action research was adopted, enabling the core team to continually and simultaneously research and equip the 14 participant parish churches over a three-year period. The approach generated a rich data set, facilitating development and trialling of a wide range of resource materials and training opportunities. This paper describes the key findings and reflections, including summaries of the macro scale data and abstracts from the indepth qualitative data pool. The continual cycle of research and resourcing has resulted in the transformation of the Christening ministry within many of the participant churches. Furthermore, a plethora of resources and materials have been generated, which could be utilised further afield.

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Social Customs and Demographic Change: The Case of Godparenthood in Catholic Europe

Cited by 13 publications

References 15 publications

Blood Is Thicker than Water

Blood Is Thicker than Water

Spiritual Kinship Between Formal Norms and Actual Practice: A Comparative Analysis in the Long Run (from the Early Middle Ages Until Today)

Transforming the resourcing of christenings in the Anglican diocese of Liverpool

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