The reinvention of tradition

Abstract

The chapter aims to analyse the moral economy of contemporary Benedictine monasteries in the Czech Republic in the process of state-church separation, which started in 2013 with the implementation of a restitution law restoring church properties. Monastic life in the Czech Republic was interrupted by the Communist regime, which seized monastic estates and made consecrated life illegal. Today, communities are attempting to return to monastic life, reinterpreting the tradition while finding new meanings for themselves in society. We analyse the dialogical relationship between the monastery and its surrounding ‘world(s)’, interpreting negotiations between the two sites as part of the moral economy, which is drawn from an extended conceptualisation of this term by Didier Fassin. We establish three regions of contact: the monastery as cultural heritage, the monastic economy and stewardship and innovative interpretations of monastic spirituality. Within these regions, we try to describe how exchanges of social norms, emotions, spiritualities and material goods form a new moral pact between monasteries and society. We argue that the perception of monasteries as belonging to the past is shifting towards being seen as functioning local actors, as places of everyday activity, as important economic partners and creators of spiritual values relevant beyond Christianity.