Apparitional Movements as Sites of Religious Experimentation: A Case Study from Transcarpathian Ukraine

Based on an analysis of existing literature on Marian apparitions and field research-based case study from contemporary Transcarpathian Ukraine, this article asserts that an interpretation of Marian apparitional movements as a form of acquiescence to the authoritarian and conservative vision of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nova religio
Main Author: Halemba, Agnieszka 1970- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: University of Californiarnia Press [2017]
In: Nova religio
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Transcarpathia / Marian apparition / Greek-Catholic Church / Modernization
RelBib Classification:AZ New religious movements
KBK Europe (East)
NBJ Mariology
Further subjects:B Virgin Mary apparitions
B Ukraine
B Greek Catholic Church
B Religious experimentation
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:Based on an analysis of existing literature on Marian apparitions and field research-based case study from contemporary Transcarpathian Ukraine, this article asserts that an interpretation of Marian apparitional movements as a form of acquiescence to the authoritarian and conservative vision of the Catholic Church is too simplistic. The Virgin Mary appears in moments of crisis that are often caused or exacerbated by conflicts, especially ecclesiastical ones and it is also true that the sites of apparitions often do give a voice to those critical of modern changes. However, they are not always instrumentalized in support of conservative ideas. To the contrary, Marian apparitions are often sites of religious experimentation and innovation. On the one hand the Church can be extremely skeptical of or even hostile to apparitional events, still on the other hand the Church makes use of them as places of religious modernization with an aim to revitalize religious adherence.
ISSN:1541-8480
Contains:Enthalten in: Nova religio
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1525/nr.2017.21.2.43