RT Article
T1 Touch and Distance as Aesthetic of Social Interaction: Politics of Class Distinction in Spiritual Face-to-Face Situations in Beirut
JF Implicit religion
VO 26
IS 1
SP 53
OP 75
A1 Neufend, Maike
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1963104749
AB Private self-care practices and displays of community-care often appear to be at odds, yet this article explores how physical proximity and spatial dynamics during face-to-face encounters contribute to the overall aesthetic experience of both - self-care and community-care. To comprehend the significance of domestic space within Beirut, particularly in the context of Sufism, the article explores Sophie's narrative and her conceptualization of her apartment as a private-public space for communication. Hinging on certain privileges, this refuge, distinct from the world outside, serves as a stage for the ritual gatherings of the Sufis. The positioning of bodies during these gatherings illustrates how this arrangement is maintained or disrupted through practices involving different degrees of proximity and distance. Socio-spatial interactions display a social order that oscillates between self-care and community-care, between self-control and collective intimacy. By contemplating the power dynamics inherent in this ethnographic context, the implicated link between socio-spatial interaction, practices of class distinction, and aesthetics within spiritual practices are discussed.
K1 BF511-593 Affection. Feeling. Emotion
K1 Social and Cultural Anthropology
K1 sociology of religion
K1 Sufism
K1 aesthetic practice
K1 Attention
K1 domestic sphere
K1 Ethnography
K1 Interaction
K1 socio-spatial order
K1 tactile communication
DO 10.1558/imre.24974