Cas Wepener

Ritual and the Generation of Social Capital in Contexts of Poverty: A South African Exploration

Abstract This article forms a part of a larger research project in the Paarl area of South Africa. This specific contribution comes from the field of liturgy. Ritual data were collected in several congregations by means of participatory action research. Some of the data gathered will be analyzed and interpreted here by means of ritual criticism. In this article, the theoretical foundation is briefly explained, as well as the specific way in which ritual criticism will be conducted. The concepts of social capital and poverty will first be explored, specifically with regard to the relation between the two concepts, as well as Ammermans use of the concept of social capital in congregational studies. Following that, the so-called dimensions, processes, and qualities of ritual are presented. By making use of some of the data, the dimensions of ritual are discussed in the light of the concepts of poverty and social capital. The hypothesis with which this research works is that certain dimensions of rituals are “better” or “more adequate” with regard to the generation of social capital in contexts of poverty than other dimensions, and that, depending on the context, some dimensions may even be counter-productive in this regard. This hypothesis is then discussed in the light of the collected data by attempting to show how these rituals are functioning as generators of social capital. Zusammenfasssung Die Ergebnisse dieses Artikels sind Teil eines größeren Forschungsprojekts, das im Paarl gebiet in Südafrika durchgeführt wurde. Dieser spezifische Beitrag ist der Liturgik zuzuordnen. Mit Hilfe von ‚teilnehmender Beobachtung‘ in verschiedenen Gemeinden wurden Daten zu Ritualen erhoben. Einige dieser zusammengetragenen Daten werden hier im Sinne der ‚Ritual-Kritik‘ analysiert und interpretiert. Es wird sowohl die theoretische Grundlage als auch die genaue Art, in welcher Weise ‚Ritual-Kritik‘ durchgeführt werden kann, erklärt. Zuerst werden dazu die Konzepte ‚Soziales Kapital‘ und ‚Armut‘ untersucht, vor allem in Bezug auf das wechselseitige Verhältnis zueinander, ähnlich wie bei Ammermans Verwendung des Begriffs ‚Soziales Kapital‘ im Rahmen der Untersuchungen in Bezug auf Gemeinden. Anschließend werden die Dimensionen, Prozesse und Eigenschaften von Ritualen präsentiert. Durch die Auswertung einiger der Daten werden die Dimensionen eines Rituals im Horizont der Konzepte von ‚Armut‘ und ‚Sozialem Kapital‘ diskutiert. Die These dieses Artikels ist es, dass gewisse Dimensionen der Rituale ‚besser‘ oder ‚angemessener‘ sind in Bezug auf die Erzeugung Sozialen Kapitals im Kontext von Armut als andere Dimensionen, und dass, je nach Zusammenhang, einige Dimensionen darauf bezogen sogar kontraproduktiv sein können. Diese These wird dann angesichts der erhobenen Daten diskutiert, mit dem Versuch darzustellen, wie diese Rituale als Generatoren des Sozialen Kapitals fungieren.

The Role of Religious Ritual in Social Capital Formation for Poverty Alleviation and Social Development. Theoretical and Methodological Points of Departure of a South African Exploration

The article is a presentation of a South African research project in which researchers in the fields of ritual-liturgical studies and social development are collaborating to explore the role of religious ritual in the kinds of social capital formation that have a direct significance and implication for alleviating poverty and promoting social development at grassroots level. Focusing on Christian congregations in poor socio-economic contexts in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, the aim of the research is to understand social capital formation through the lens of religious ritual. The research project builds on the hypothesis that social capital has a role to play in the related goals of poverty alleviation and social development, something which it seeks to conceptualise and explore in greater detail. Within this framework the discussion explores and contextualises the conceptual link between social capital and the practice of religious ritual in present-day South African society by drawing on existing research and theoretical debates, both nationally and internationally. This enables the authors to present some additional notes on the key theoretical, conceptual and methodological points of departure of the undertaken project. These are followed by a number of concluding observations about the modes of investigation and action steps through which the research topic is currently being further developed.

THE OBJECT AND AIM OF MULTI-DISCIPLINARY LITURGICAL RESEARCH

Set against the backdrop of the current hiatus concerning an anthropological approach in the study of Liturg within Protestant (Reformed) liturgical research, this article firstly argues for a very specific object (rituals) as well as aim (liturgia condenda) for liturgical research. Thereafter it is shown how such an object and aim call for a multi-disciplinary research design. The research design of Paul Post is then presented and applied to the authors’ proposed research. The article argues that such an approach towards the study of Liturgy is not only attainable, but also important for theologically and anthropologically justifiable liturgical renewal.

Water rituals as a source of (Christian) life in an African Independent Church : to be healed and (re)connected

African Independent Churches (AICs) are to a large extent paperless churches. This means that for the biggest part liturgical documents do not exist and that a study of their worship must entail a study of their enacted rites which will include recordings and transcriptions of verbal expressions such as sermons. This article focuses on AIC worship in South africa, with special attention to the role of so-called water rituals. In this article the main aim is an attempt to discern what the role of these water rituals are in the worship of this AIC and in the generation of social capital. Thus, after a description of the ritual data, the water rituals are analysed by making use of both anthropological and theological theory, especially the work of Mary Douglas and Gerhardus van der Leeuw.

Terug na die toekoms: Oor die samehang tussen rituele tyd en identiteit

Back to the Future: On the Connection between Ritual Time and Identity This paper is an attempt to illustrate how ritual time figures in the formation of identity, and specifically how ritual time can play a positive, constructive role in the establishment of Christian identity. First, the notion of time is discussed from both a phenomenological and a liturgical perspective. Phenomenologically, time is a construction that draws on nature and historical memory to order reality, but theologically that order is broken into and broken open by the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ to reveal to us God’s future. After this identity is discussed as a cumulative social construction that takes place in space and over time. Identity is constructed by means of symbols with which people identify or with which they are identified. Time itself can also become such a symbol that constructs identity. As such, the liturgical enactment of ritual time – the memory of God’s future that breaks into our reality – can contribute to the formation of Christian identity. Therefore it is important to continually review and actively make use of time as a symbol in the ritual formation of Christian identity.

Burning incense for a focus group discussion: Acquiring a spirituality of liminality for doing liturgical research in an African context from an emic perspective

Abstract In this article the author critically reflects on his experiences while conducting qualitative liturgical research in local communities in South Africa. After a brief sketch of the context and introducing his approach, three types of examples are presented and reflected upon critically. In conclusion, an argument is presented for a specific kind of spirituality that is needed in order to undertake ethnographic-style participatory observation for liturgical research on African soil, namely a spirituality of liminality. For a researcher who is not a member of the tradition and culture in which the research is being conducted, this spirituality of liminality is necessary in order to develop an emic perspective without defining the people whose worshipping tradition is being researched as ‘other’. This spirituality of liminality is an important characteristic for a researcher who engages in qualitative ethnographic-style liturgical research in a postcolonial context.

Multicultural worship in Pretoria. A ritual-liturgical case study

The main aim of this article is to develop a theory for praxis with regards to multicultural worship in South Africa. With this aim in mind qualitative research was undertaken in three denominationally different congregations namely Dutch Reformed, Roman Catholic and Charismatic. The research question was “what are the ritual-liturgical qualities that make sustainable multicultural worship possible with the goal of enhancing social cohesion and reconciliation?” After a discussion of the theoretical points of departure of the research project the congregations and collected data are presented and ritual-liturgical qualities are identified. The article concludes by revisiting these qualities, rephrasing them into a preliminary theory for praxis which could possibly enhance the development of more sustainable multicultural worship services in the South African society.

Worship and sport. A spatial-liturgical study

Hierdie artikel is gebaseer op kwalitatiewe empiriese data wat versamel is vir ’n PhD studie met die titel: Aanbidding, sport en sosiale kohesie: ’n ruimtelik-liturgiese perspektief. Hierdie navorsing is deur die eerste outeur uitgevoer en die tweede outeur was die studieleier. (http://hdl.handle.net/2263/50902)

Lank leef die dooies: oor postmortem fotografie, dodemaskers, geloofsgetuies, voorvaders en dominee-portrette

By making use of qualitative interference as methodological starting point, this article sets out to compare some “qualities” inherent in five distinct phenomena. The phenomena under scrutiny are postmortem photography, death masks, saints, ancestors and portraits of ministers. Each one of these phenomena is firstly (briefly) opened as a source in order to shed light on some of it’s important aspects. Secondly some qualities that were derived from these sources are compared for qualitative interference. This is done to show that the essence of photography as a medium makes it an excellent source for the inculturation of the honoring of the ancestors (the so-called living dead) in the liturgy of African churches.

Liminality : recent avatars of this notion in a South African context

By tracing the use of the concept liminality in theological discourse in South Africa and attempting to show how the South African context has changed rapidly over the past two decades and is still changing, the main question I address is whether it is still a helpful concept in 2011 and I ask whether it has in some instances not in fact become a hindrance rather than a help.