Paper Icons and Fasting Bodies: The Esthetic Formations of Serbian Orthodoxy
Drawing on ethnographic data from central Serbia, the article uses the concept of “esthetic formations” to consider how divergent expressions of Orthodox Christianity intersect in postsocialist space. The majority of Serbs identify as “Orthodox” and Orthodox imagery pervades the public sphere—but on...
| Published in: | Material religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
2022
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| In: |
Material religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Serbisch-orthodoxe Kirche
/ Religious practice
/ Esthetic action
/ Fasting
/ Church attendance
/ Expression
/ Piety
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| RelBib Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality KBK Europe (East) KDF Orthodox Church RC Liturgy |
| Further subjects: | B
Esthetics
B Fasting B Orthodox Christianity B postsocialism B Serbia B esthetic formations |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Drawing on ethnographic data from central Serbia, the article uses the concept of “esthetic formations” to consider how divergent expressions of Orthodox Christianity intersect in postsocialist space. The majority of Serbs identify as “Orthodox” and Orthodox imagery pervades the public sphere—but only a minority engage concertedly with liturgical practice. Through their regular fasting and churchgoing such self-identifying “believers” embody an Orthodox esthetic which is at once connected to—and yet distinct from—the overarching Orthodox cultural context. Whilst for churchgoers such embodiment represents sincerity and commitment, for many others it represents fanaticism and excessive piety. Overall, the article makes two claims. First, that “esthetic formations” are not internally rigid and that esthetics can divide as much as they unite. Second, that embodied esthetics allow different actors to articulate different moral claims about what constitutes sincere Orthodox practice. |
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| ISSN: | 1751-8342 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Material religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/17432200.2022.2102855 |