Religious Artefacts Research Articles

Navigating the boundaries between technology and social change—evaluating acceptance of visible tattoos in the workplace: the French exception?

This article examines how tattoos are challenging and renegotiating social norms in the French workplace—from hiring to everyday work life—and the role of social media technology. The workplace reflects the complex interplay of relational and social processes that form societal attitudes. France remains a highly conservative and centralized national context traditionally resistant, due to its republican values, to external markers of identity, such as, for example, religious artifacts. The motivation for the present article is an exploration of how the nuanced interplay between technology, social factors, and organizational attitudes, impact on the gradually changing perceptions and acceptance of visible tattoos in Gallic work contexts. Using theories of socio-technical systems and identity-driven consumption framed by the postmodern concepts of liminality and communitas, we employ a mixed-methods approach to examine tattoo consumption and acceptance across a range of workplaces in France. Findings suggest that social norms, interacting with social media peer pressure, continue to push cultural boundaries, with online consumer behavior frequently shaping offline consumer behavior and employee/employer attitudes. These processes are often informed by the pursuit of “self” and reflect several “tribalistic” aspects of society. Through analysis, we articulate and contribute six interpretations of how tattooing is partially accepted by recruiters in the workplace in France. We also contribute to the understanding of liminality and communitas as applied to socio-technical spaces. Overall, we reveal insights that can inform researchers, managers, and practitioners in anticipating future changes and preparing for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Сангарил у мирян-буддистов Бурятии

This article summarizes the materials collected and published by the authors during their field research in Buryatia on the practice of the collective prayer of lay Buddhists, referred to as sangaril. It was not until the twentieth century that researchers began studying this phenomenon of lay Buddhists. Among the most prominent studies are the works of S. G. Zhambalova and D. S. Zhamsueva. The examination of these works and some earlier sources has enabled the authors of this article to present a meticulous account of the history surrounding the introduction of sangaril during the early stages of Soviet power. A comprehensive description covers the timeline, implementation process, participant prerequisites, and religious artifacts associated with the ritual. The structure of three sangarils recorded in the villages of Ushkhaita and Kizhinga of the Kizhinga district and in the Khorinsk settlement of the Khorinsk district of the Republic of Buryatia is characterized. The variation in the sequence of sections of the ritual is discussed, with a focus on the normative, recurrent in different villages, and mobile ones. The correlation between Tibetan, Mongolian, and Buryat sacred texts is discussed. The analysis covers the musical component of the ritual, including the recitative reading of mani prayers alternating with the performance of magtaals (glorifications to Buddhist shrines sung on typical song tunes). The Buryat text of one magtaal is provided with a Russian translation and comments. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of sangaril in preserving the cultural values and ethnic identity of the Buryat people.

Movement of Hindu Religious Education in The Era of The Kingdom of Majapahit

The history of the Hindu-Buddhist Kingdoms in the Archipelago does not only talk about politics but also about civilization and efforts to improve education. Education is a human need since ancient times. Leaders from various eras attempted to build Educational centers to educate citizens. During the time of the kingdoms in the archipelago, educational centers had been built to develop superior human resources. Majapahit was a large empire in the archipelago that was able to survive for several centuries. As a large empire, Majapahit has a good education system with its institution called mandala kadewaguruan (Education Center). Kadewaguruan is led by a mahāresi who is also called śiddharesi, dewaguru, therefore this education center is called Kadewaguruan. Based on information from various texts, the identifying elements of a religious education center (mandala kadewaguruan ) are: (1) a large place; (2) pottery-ceramics were found; (3) various religious artifacts were found; (4) away from the crowds; and (5) reported in the text. Mandala Kadewaguruan as an educational institution in the Majapahit era divides the education stage into 2 stages, which are called the preparatory stage and the core stage. The article examines in more depth the Hindu education center in the Majapahit era by conducting field research, analyzing research, documents and texts related to Hindu education in the Majapahit era. In this era, education is carried out comprehensively with learning taking place throughout the day. Students can learn various values of life in addition to learning according to the level taught.

LUMINOSITY, SPIRIT, AND THE ROLE OF CLAPPER-BELLS IN THE FORMATION OF A CHINESE METALLURGICAL TRADITION

AbstractThis article explores the manner in which the Eurasian metallurgical tradition was transformed into an indigenous tradition on the Chinese Central Plains. It argues that the association of luminosity with the divine has a cognitive foundation, which accounts for the use translucent stones and shiny metals, including copper, bronze, silver, and gold as mediums for religious artifacts throughout the world. In China, this association was the primary impetus for the development of an indigenous metallurgy based on a piece-mold and coring technology. Although the technology ultimately concentrated on the production of ritual vessels, it was first developed at Yanshi Erlitou 偃師二里頭 for the production of clapper-bells (ling 鈴), which had similar round hollow bodies.We further explore the history of clapper-bells, arguing that they were a development of a Central Plains tradition dating back to the Yangshao 仰韶 period (5000–3000 b.c.e.). We argue that their religious significance at Erlitou lay in the previously unheard sound produced when the two luminous substances, jade and bronze, struck against one another. Thus, religious interlocutors at Erlitou used them to contact the ancestral spirits. Later, in the Yinxu 殷墟 period of the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1300–1050 b.c.e.), bronze clapper-bells were worn by dogs buried in tombs. We propose that their role there was a development of the earlier one; that is, they were used to contact the occupant's ancestral spirits as he was guided by the dog in the underworld.

Providing a Comparative Geo-referenced Database for Religious Artefacts in Ai Khanoum and Taxila’s Sirkap Mound

Providing a Comparative Geo-referenced Database for Religious Artefacts in Ai Khanoum and Taxila’s Sirkap Mound

Nadezhda Abramovna Kanover — “Above all for Her Were Books”

The article tells about the Far Eastern librarian Nadezhda Abramovna Kanover, a follower of the bibliographer Z.N. Matveev, who played a great role in the development of librarianship in Vladivostok. The publication is based on the documents from the Current Archive of the Presidium of the Far East Branch of Russian Academy of Science (FEB RAS), Central Scientific Library (CSL) of FEB RAS and Society for Study of Amur Region (SSAR) that for the first time reveal unknown facts from N.A. Kanover life and characterize the situation in library science in the Russian Far East in 1930s — 1950s. Heading several libraries including the future CSL FEB RAS and library of Primorskiy branch of State Geographical Society (SFGS), N.A. Kanover put much efforts in collecting collections and making conditions for book storage, as well as promoted book culture by publishing articles and organizing book exhibitions. Thanks to her, Vladivostok received a unique old-believers’ collection that belonged to bibliophile S.Ya. Ponosov. Printed editions of the collection are now kept in the SSAR library (former SFGS library), icons and religious artefacts are in the Primorsky Picture Gallery and the V.K. Arsenyev Museum of Far East History. These organisations presented a part of Ponosov’s collection at the joint exhibition “Legend of Belovodie” (Vladivostok, February 18 — July 30, 2023). The pages of Kanover’s biography connected with the last months of life of V.K. Arsenyev, the famous traveller and explorer of the Far East, are remarkable. While working in the library of SFGS, N.A. Kanover became its last secretary, dealing with the correspondent network of the branch. Unfortunately, almost nothing is known about the last years of her life, but N.A. Kanover’s work in the field of Far Eastern library science is not forgotten.

Australian Objects in the Religious Studies Collection at the University of Münster: The “Pater Worms Collection” as a Case of Inter-Religious Contact

The paper discusses the Australian artefacts in the collection of the Institute for the Study of Religion at the University of Münster. The collection was established in the 1950s with the intention to exemplify, for students of Catholic theology, the wide variety of material expressions developed by different religious traditions in the world. The collection also highlights zones of missionary contact and their inclusion in theological thinking about non-Christian traditions. The Australian objects were given to the collection in the second half of the 1950s by the Pallottine missionary Ernest Worms. It is not the goal of this paper to attempt a thorough ethnological analysis of the objects; instead, we discuss how these objects from indigenous Australian cultures were included in a collection of religious artefacts owned by the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the University of Münster and to what extent the founder of the collection, Anton Antweiler, considered these objects expressions of the religions and religious history of Australia. To this end, the correspondence between Worms and Antweiler has been analysed, particularly where Worms discusses these objects extensively from both a missionary perspective and from his point of view as a scholar researching Australian cultures. In addition, his German treatise on the religions of Australia (*Die Religionen der Südsee und Australiens*) was consulted. Based on these sources, Worms’ perception of the religions and cultures of Australia and how it informed his collecting activities can be reconstructed at least partially. At the same time, the paper attempts to direct the focus at the objects themselves as bearers of information. The material artefacts that were collected, described and finally sent to Münster to be exhibited tell their own stories about cultural and religious contact, in Australia as well as in Germany, where they were shown to students of Catholic Theology and are accessible for students and staff members until today.

Between the Social Limbo and the Art Canon

From Luiz Alphonsus’s Rio de Janeiro Police Museum photographic series, this article discusses the complex framing of artifacts used in Brazilian religious communities linked to belief systems in some African regions, which exist between the social limbo and the Brazilian art canon. After briefly reviewing how random sets of objects violently and unsystematically seized by the Police were considered criminal evidence, museum items, or national heritage from the late-nineteenth century to mid-twentieth century, we analyse texts published by Raymundo Nina Rodrigues, Manuel Querino, Mário Barata, and Arthur Ramos, who pioneered the artistic dimension of Afro-Brazilian religious artifacts based on European artistic principles. Concluding, we focus on how, under varied processes of institutionalisation, these artifacts still undergo different conceptual frameworks, being presented as criminal evidence or artworks, historical documents, or anthropological records, but are also at the center of disputes regarding their institutional relocation, shared custody, and sociocultural framing.

An Urban Approach to the Archaeology of Buddhism in Gandhara: The Case of Barikot (Swat, Pakistan)

By moving beyond the walls of monumental religious architecture, this article adopts a city-lens approach to the investigation of lived Buddhism in the third century cities of northern Gandhara. Based on the evidence available for the city of Barikot (Swat, N Pakistan), the layered complexity of urban religiosity is approached here through a contextual analysis of the built-up environment and intra-site spatial distribution of religious artefacts. By focusing on the interaction of three distinct urban realms (household, inter-household, Buddhist saṃgha) in two specific urban spaces, domestic spaces and urban temples, an argument is made for both the existence of a multi-layered household religiosity with compartmentalised forms of religious communication as well as for the appropriation of urban forms of religious communication by the urban Buddhist communities.

Freedom of Religious Beliefs and Protection of Cultural Heritage: A Comparative Study between Four EU Member States and Recommendations for Training, Education and Awareness Raising

Terrorist attacks and religious hate crimes have escalated in recent years, putting places of worship in greater danger around the world, especially in Europe. Short- and long-term consequences of such attacks, according to the European Commission, include acute physical injuries to people and/or irreparable destruction to highly significant religious artefacts, as well as long-term psychological traumas and increased terror in society. Despite EU and worldwide efforts to defend places of worship, there remains a scarcity of information on the reasons of such assaults and how to prevent them in the future. This paper shares original desk and field research conducted with law enforcement agents, religious leaders, and members of religious communities regarding the social ecosystem analysis of protecting religious heritage in the four partner countries as part of the PROSECUW Project, which is co-funded by the EU (Cyprus, Greece, Germany, and Portugal). Despite the multiplicity of situations, research findings point to a common need for better communication and understanding among members of various religious communities, as well as further training and education for acceptance of diversity, as crucial tools for religious site protection. The paper concludes with key security and protection recommendations for places of worship, including the adoption of novel approaches and instruments to both strengthen security and protect religious heritage.

Residui sacrali nei musei

This article reflects on the existing dynamics between the sacredness derived from the museumification of religious items and the sacredness of those artefacts employed in rituals that survive in museum spaces as a trace or sacred residue (Beekers 2016). Which sacrality predominates, and how do they influence each other? Through an ethnography conducted in several Taiwanese museums, the article probes into a stratification of sacralities: the encounter between Buddhist and Chinese religious practitioners with museum artefacts’ sacred residue reflects complex and unpredictable dynamics. The ethnography presented in this article is defined as membrane ethnography since the relationship between humans and matter is like a membrane that unites and simultaneously separates, filters and subjectifies. This article extends the meaning of sacred residue by examining the reproducibility of religious artefacts through technological or experiential means. The latter, rather than determining the artefacts’ inauthenticity, makes the sacred residue more explicit. Furthermore, the ethnography of the membrane shows how non-European contexts are permeated by porosity and interdependency between the secular and the sacred of religious heritage, thus preventing a dichotomisation between museums and ritual contexts for analysing the implied dynamics between them instead.

The Return of Fossils Removed Under Colonial Rule

Debates on the restitution of colonial loot usually focus on art, antiquities, religious artefacts, and similar objects. Many fossils of considerable scientific and cultural value were also removed under colonial rule, yet they rarely feature in these discussions despite being classified as cultural objects. This article seeks to shed light on the colonial removal of fossils and explore potential avenues for their return under public international law. Instead of focusing on the (il-)legality of colonial takings, we argue that the right to access culture has developed from the right to participate in cultural life in Article 15(1)(a) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which provides, if not a solid legal basis, a valuable set of arguments for former colonies requesting the return of fossils looted from their countries/territories of origin. The case study of the negotiations on the return of the Broken Hill skull before the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP) highlights the potential of this mechanism of dispute resolution with respect to fossils.

Conceptualization of religion in Linguistic Consciousness of Kazakh Ethnicity

Religion is the only area where rational-analytical activity, which is obligatory for science, provokes a tense attitude towards itself. In this respect, the identification of religion as a concept, describing its content, structure, and development, as well as its impact on the nation causes a high interest.
 The article presents the results of a psycholinguistic study, the purpose of which was to describe the ways of conceptualizing religion by the representatives of the Kazakh language and culture, modeling the associative field “religion” in the Kazakh language, identifying the features of conceptualizing religion in the Kazakh linguistic culture. The material of the research was the data of psycholinguistic study conducted with the native speakers of the Kazakh language. The method of obtaining data was a free associative experiment with the registration of answers given for a certain period of time to the stimulus word дін / religion.
 The obtained associative data were distributed according to the frequency criterion, followed by modeling the associative field and its cognitive structure. The associative field “religion” in the Kazakh linguistic consciousness includes agents and artifacts of religion, rituals, beliefs, immaterial aspects, figures, and types of religion. The most frequent associations with religion in the Kazakh linguistic consciousness are мешіт / mosque (13%), Құдай / God (11%), сенім / faith (10%), Ислам / Islam (10%), шіркеу / church (9.5%), Құран / Quran (7.5%), жан / soul (7%), жарық / light (6%), атеизм / atheism (5.5%), дұға ету / pray (5%).
 The associative field “religion / дін” modelled as a result of the psycholinguistic study consists of the features ‘Islam’, ‘mosque’, ‘God’, and ‘faith’ in the centre of the field, and the features ‘bata’, ‘pray, ‘zeket’, and ‘oraza’ in the near periphery of the field model “religion / дін”, which demonstrates the relevance of these Islamic religious artifacts and acts to the Kazakh linguistic consciousness.

Underground spirituality and materiality: religious culture under surveillance and persecution in communist Albania, 1967-1990

ABSTRACT This article investigates the indispensability of religious material culture for identity processes during times of surveillance and persecution under Albania’s communist regime, especially after 1967, under conditions of intensified anti-religious frenzy. The significance of materiality in underground spirituality is investigated through two case studies. After outlining the methodological design of this study and its theoretical principles grounded on the Identity Process Theory, we delineate the historical background in which religious communities and individuals found themselves vis-à-vis their religious identities during 1967–1990. Then, we comparatively study two inconspicuous religious artefacts alongside their stories and the people who preserved and used them. Through these two cases, we strive to demonstrate how surveillance and prosecution mobilize identity processes that often act in dissidence to the political establishment by looking at how communication and memories associated with visual, material religious objects emit emotions and affection.

Underground Religious Culture under Surveillance in Communist Albania, 1967–1990

Abstract This article explores the significance of religious material culture for identity processes during times of surveillance and persecution under Albania’s communist regime, especially after 1967. At that time, the anti-religious actions of the state intensified, leading to Albania’s proclamation as the first world-wide atheist state in its 1976 Constitution. This article comparatively explores two religious artifacts and the stories of the faithful who preserved and used them in religious life. These two artifacts are the relic and reliquary of the skull of St. Nikodemos of Vithkuq, preserved in the house of Ilia Koçi in Berat, and the aer of Fr. Kozma Qirjo, kept and used by him in the course of his underground activity as a priest at his village, Bestrovë, and elsewhere. With the help of these two case studies contextualized in the theoretical frame of this work, the article demonstrates how surveillance and prosecution mobilizes identity processes that often act in dissidence to the political establishment.

Historical Overview of the Traditional Ghanaian Seats

Traditional Ghanaian seats have existed for centuries. As of now, there is no complete research material detailing its history, nature, types, functions, appropriate materials for production, and the symbolic designs conveyed in the craft making it incomplete to tell the rich culture of Ghana. The paper aims at providing a more detailed overview of the craft to serve as complete and reliable reference material to learners. This qualitative study employed the narrative research design. The study was conducted at Ahwiaa and Bomani Tyehimba traditional wood carving communities in the Ashanti and Eastern regions of Ghana respectively. Two historians; one each, and ten traditional stool carvers; five each from the visited carving communities were purposively selected and interviewed. The craft was initiated by the Ashantis and traveled to other regions. The craft has a flat rectangular base, a center section, and a crescent-shaped top. The center section contains distinctive motifs and symbolic meanings that are the source of the numerous stools' names. Some symbolic wisdom conveyed in the craft includes; Gye Nyame, Bi nka bi, Akofena, Sankofa, etc. Ahemmaa dwa, Mmarima dwa, Mmaa dwa, Osram dwa, Kotoko dwa, Esono dwa, etc. are some common types of the craft. It functions as practical items in every home, as a connection to rites of passage, as religious artifacts, and as a political allegory. Wood like Osese (Funtumia sp.), Nyame dua (Alstonia gongensis), Cedrela (Cedrela odorata), Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), teak (Tectona grandis), etc. are used for the production. The study will add up to the Ghanaian citizens, foreigners, and researchers’ knowledge to know much about the craft and the cultural heritage of the country.

The Transformation of the Religious thought of the Pokot of Northwestern Kenya, c.1800–1900

AbstractHistorical studies have indicated that African religions, in the pre-colonial period, were dynamic and multilayered with long histories of contradictions, contestations, and synthesis. Using the Pokot of north-western Kenya as a case in point, this contribution attempts to demonstrate the fluidity that was inherent in African religions. The Pokot originally were an agro-pastoral group inhabiting the Cherang’any and the Sekerr ranges. During the first half of the nineteenth century, a section of them descended the hills to pursue pastoralism. In their pastoral excursions, they came into contact with Plain Nilotes, especially the Karimojong. What followed was cross-cultural bartering of religious artefacts, both ideological and material, in which process the Pokot adopted selected religious aspects from the Karimojong and fused them with their previous beliefs to formulate syncretism. This contribution not only highlights the religious concepts that were fused but, also, attempts to explain the process of fusion itself.

Apophatic love, contagion, and surveillance: Orthodox Christian responses to the global pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Orthodox Christians globally reacted to the possibility of contagion and risk in dialogue with theological positions about materials, their own long history which includes surviving previous pandemics and plagues, governmental and civil expectations and edicts, and pious – but often unofficial – understandings about protection and the sacrality of religious artefacts and the space of the temple. This article draws upon primary ethnographic research amongst Orthodox Christians in the UK, Serbia, Greece and Russia, as well as news articles about and primary ecclesiastical documents from Orthodox Churches more widely, to highlight commonalities and divergences in Orthodox Christian responses to the pandemic. Examining both the theological basis, and socio-political differences, this article considers how the Orthodox theology of apophaticism and relationality impacts wider discourses of contagion (both positive and negative), and consequently compliance with public health initiatives. Comparison across diverse Orthodox settings suggests that Orthodox Christians are concerned with the neighbour – both in terms of who may be watching (and reporting) them, and who may fall sick because of them.

Development of a Touchable Replica for Inclusive Experiences of Religious Artifacts

AbstractThe main objective of this article is to introduce a first inclusive experience in a conventional museum that so far only exhibits religious sculptures and its evaluation by blind and partially sighted persons. For this reason, it was decided to develop a multisensory experience aimed at blind and partially sighted people, taking advantage of the potential of new 3D scanning and printing technologies. The experience is centered on a touchable replica of the bust of the Cristo de la Sangre, a masterpiece of the Baroque highly revered in Murcia. The complete process of the development of the replica is shown, form design and manufacturing, both combining technology and tradition. Apart from touch sense, the experience incorporates detailed audio descriptions and smells, to provide valuable extra information. Also, radio mobile technologies such as beacons, are used for guiding purposes. Blind and partially sighted people play an active role in this project, both in the design and validation of the experiences.

Religion in its Diaspora

Through the forced migration of various peoples by colonial powers, the Caribbean has become a melting pot of a wide array of races, cultures, and religions. However, the existence of Hinduism in the Caribbean is often unknown to those outside of the Caribbean and its diaspora, and is sometimes overlooked within the region. Much like other social, cultural and religious artefacts in the region, Hinduism in the Caribbean has became distinct from its origins, through a unique process of ‘creolization’. This essay seeks to contextualize Hinduism in the Caribbean from the 19th century onward, considering factors that have led to the evolution of Caribbean Hinduism in Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, while acknowledg- ing the dangers of using this evolution to define the religion as a whole.