A technology of re-enchantment: reading, referencing, and redistributing Orthodox ‘spiritual literature’ in post-Yugoslav Serbia

This article explores the issue of ‘re-enchantment’ through an ethnographic analysis of ‘spiritual literature’ in post-Yugoslav Serbia. Following the anthropologist Alfred Gell, it argues that Orthodox texts can be understood as ‘enchanted technology’ which, in turn, allows them to work as a ‘techno...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:‘Re-enchantment’ and Religious Change in Former Socialist Europe
Main Author: Lackenby, Nicholas (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Routledge 2024
In: Religion
Year: 2024, Volume: 54, Issue: 1, Pages: 126-142
Further subjects:B Reading
B spiritual literature
B Orthodox Christianity
B Re-enchantment
B postsocialism
B Serbia
B Alfred Gell
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:This article explores the issue of ‘re-enchantment’ through an ethnographic analysis of ‘spiritual literature’ in post-Yugoslav Serbia. Following the anthropologist Alfred Gell, it argues that Orthodox texts can be understood as ‘enchanted technology’ which, in turn, allows them to work as a ‘technology of enchantment’. Spiritual literature – distributed as physical objects between bags, bookshelves, bookshops, and kiosks, as well as digitally via social media – can propel some people to grow as Orthodox Christians and relate to society in Orthodox terms. After situating the re-emergence of Orthodox publishing in historical perspective, the article shows how people defer to books and how texts circulate. Overall, the article reveals the mechanics of one form of re-enchantment.
ISSN:1096-1151
Contains:Enthalten in: Religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/0048721X.2023.2277020