HEИндивидуална стипендия2023–2025

PENTEX · Pentecostal exorcisms in London: creative and integrative rituals in a multicultural city

„Хоризонт Европа“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2023-09-01 → 2025-08-31
Финансиране от ЕС: 175 920 €
Участници: 2
Схема: HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

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Накратко на български

Пентокосталските екзорцизми в Лондон и онлайн се анализират чрез примери от бразилски и американски църкви. Анализът помага да се разберат връзките между тези ритуали, политическото поведение и случаите на насилие в Европа.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Pentecostal exorcisms in London: creative and integrative rituals in a multicultural city

This project focused primarily on the analysis of Pentecostal exorcisms in London, although fieldwork was also conducted in Brussels and on digital platforms. The research includes substantial material from the Brazilian Neo-Pentecostal church, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), as well as from other Pentecostal branches—particularly from the United States—in the analysis of the digitalization of exorcisms. Therefore, fieldwork was carried out in loco, allowing the researcher to participate in the rituals. The main objective is to place Pentecostal exorcisms at the core of the analysis, examining how they shape religious practices, materiality, political activity, economic behavior, race, ethnicity, racism, gender roles, and sexuality. Moreover, these rituals were analyzed in relation to their “others,” emphasizing how they engage with groups that become the targets of such rituals—thus going beyond the view of exorcism as merely an intra-community practice. This project employs not only ritual theory but also a sociological analysis of processes of “othering,” adopting a perspective that highlights the dialogical dimension of demonization through which Pentecostal groups construct and interact with what they perceive as Devil-related others.The theme is particularly relevant given the recurrence of violent cases related to exorcisms in Europe; the case of Victoria Climbié, for example, involved the murder of a young girl after she was diagnosed by preachers as a potentially possessed individual. Despite the social and political resonance of such events, the broader impacts of Pentecostal exorcisms—especially their political dimensions and their potential links to violence—remain underexplored. This project therefore seeks to address this gap by examining the social, political, and ethical implications of these rituals. In doing so, it aims to inform public discussions and policy initiatives that engage with religious practices and their regulation, contributing to the prevention of similar cases through a better understanding of the discourses and practices that shape exorcism rituals.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

A common practice throughout much of the history of Christianity, the expulsion of demonic entities, also known as exorcism, continues to occur on a regular basis in the capital cities of Europe. These religious rituals are customary in Pentecostalism, a form of Protestantism that grew exponentially in the last century, especially in Lain America and Africa. However, although most of the studies about Pentecostalism in the Global South observe the importance of exorcisms, the literature about this religious movement's diaspora to Europe focuses more on the integration of participants in a migratory context, which leaves a gap in the analysis of these researches. Thus, PENTEX aims to analyse Pentecostal exorcisms in two Pentecostal churches (one from Latin America and one from Africa) in London, United Kingdom, by acknowledging these rituals' creative (in which outside practices are re-signified) and integrative (in which they control and regulated the participants' practices and social roles) features. Furthermore, PENTEX aims to observe the conviviality of Pentecostals with other social groups in London and the role and adaptation of exorcisms in these interactions. PENTEX will also analyse cases of violence in the city that resemble Pentecostal exorcisms, by observing if the churches' spiritual warfare against evil and demonisation may materialize into violence, and how the participants, NGOs that promote human rights, and policymakers understand these cases.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN · LeuvenКоординаторБелгия
UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT · UtrechtНидерландия