scholarly journals Management of Sacred Heritage Places in Tanzania: A Case of Kuumbi Limestone Cave, Zanzibar Island

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-88
Author(s):  
Maximilian F. Chami ◽  
Felix A. Chami
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Sacred Sites ◽  
Limestone Cave ◽  
Traditional Religions ◽  
Customary Laws ◽  
Crucial Part ◽  
Ritual Practices ◽  
Site Managers

The use and management of sacred sites that are still in use provide challenges to site managers since visitors fail to abide by rules established for the sacred area. In this study, it was revealed that there are ritual practices, strict taboos and customary laws put in place to control access to cave areas which are regarded as sacred to the locals. The habit of visitors not adhering to the established regulations when visiting caves and their areas have created a disconnection between people and their traditional religions and actually caused some of them to join mainstream religions such as Islam. The article proposes measures to be adopted by the antiquities authority, and other heritage managers in Zanzibar and Tanzania, in general, to provide the best practice for cave visitors and enable the communities to continue using the caves as a crucial part of their religious life without any molestations.

KALINOVSKY CROSS. A RESONANT MIRACLE OF 1923 IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FOLKLORE NARRATIVES

2021 ◽  
pp. 120-140
Author(s):  
Olga V. Belova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Religious Life ◽  
General Level ◽  
Sacred Objects ◽  
Holy Places ◽  
Folk Stories ◽  
Ritual Practices

The publication considers the main motifs of evidences about the so-called Kalinovka miracle that took place in the summer of 1923 in Ukraine (Podolia province). Analyzing folk stories about the “Kalinovka miracle” that are contemporary to the event, one can show how the evidences of miracles that occurred around the Kalinovsky cross correlate with the traditional plot schemes of folk legends about sacred objects and with ritual practices that arise and develop around venerated holy places. As it is shown in the legends, memorates, and folklore texts of other genres that were popular in 1923, the fact of the “Kalinovka miracle” became significant for society in the context of other phenomena, including rumors generated by the renewal of sacred objects or the general level of religious sentiment in that period of time. The influence of subjects related to the “Kalinovka miracle” not only on the folklore tradition of Podolia and Volyn’, but also on the traditions of other regions of Ukraine and Russia, is confirmed by the fixation of numerous versions of folklore texts that reflect this fact of religious life.

Where is the tantric mainstream? Discussions with a Bengali Brahmin god-maker in Kolkata

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-200
Author(s):  
James Samuel Bradbury
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Religious Culture ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Family ◽  
Ritual Practices

Abstract The idea of Hindu Tantra as an esoteric, transgressive, or otherwise fringe practice has been revised to account for a ‘tantric mainstream’ in Indian religious life. However, this tantric mainstream has been faintly reflected in the ethnographic record, which would be otherwise well--suited to explore how religious categories are formed in broader social contexts. The religious world of the Bhattacharyas, a Śākta Brahmin family from East Bengal that now lives in suburban Kolkata, evinces some of the challenges in identifying ‘the tantric’ while suggesting alternative framings of ritual practices. Tapan Bhattacharya, a member of the family in his sixties, not only conducted pūjās to the tantric goddess Dakṣiṇā Kālī in their household shrine; he also sculpted the clay statues of deities (pratimā) that were used in local community rituals. Tapan’s nephew, Souvik, drew upon tantric classifications to explain the relations between mainstream household and community pūjās on one hand, and transgressive rituals on the other. Tantra, as understood by members of this household, encompassed a much wider set of relations than conventional binaries of tantra/not-tantra have allowed for. Taking their cue, I locate mainstream Śākta Tantra within the broader contexts of their religious world and the categories that make sense therein, while ultimately recognising that this family’s framings of contemporary religious culture will be matched by other, competing perspectives.

The Need for New Emphasis on Batterers Intervention Programs

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon M. Aaron ◽  
Richard L. Beaulaurier
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
System Research ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Practice Models ◽  
Alternatives To Incarceration ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
New Research ◽  
Crucial Part

Although Batterers’ Intervention Programs (BIPs) remain a crucial part of victim safety and coordinated community responses, they have received less support and less attention by scholars than other parts of the domestic violence system. Research on BIPs also suggests that they have not been particularly effective at preventing recidivism, are prone to attrition, and increasingly lack the support and confidence of the courts. Nevertheless, BIPs remain one of the few viable alternatives to incarceration for perpetrators of domestic violence. This article examines the historical and empirical reasons for the apparent lack of effectiveness of BIPs. New research suggests avenues for improvement. This begins with incorporating existing research findings, consistency in implementation of best practice models, better diagnosis of personality characteristics of perpetrators and of types of violence that characterize their relationships as well as better funding and support for research. In addition, differentiated treatment approaches tailored to the abuser and their particular types of violence may hold promise—and require increased support by the research and practice communities.

scholarly journals Female Spaces in Ethnically and Religiously Mixed Shrines in the Western Balkans: Cases in Montenegro and Kosovo

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 317-341
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Dugushina ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Specific Role ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Sacred Sites ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
The Village ◽  
The City ◽  
Ritual Practices ◽  
Female Communities

This paper discusses female spaces and rituals in two sacred sites in the Albanian-Slavonic borderlands that are shared by Christian and Muslim communities. Based on fieldwork material, the article first gives an overview of the infrastructure, various functions and female interrelations of the ‘Ladies’ Beach’ in the city of Ulcinj, Montenegro, which brings together stable local and spontaneously emerging female communities from different ethnic and religious backgrounds. The second part explores an example of a mixed pilgrimage in the village of Letnica in Kosovo, paying special attention to female ritual practices related to fertility and childbirth as an integral context for the different scenarios in which the shrine is visited. By examining rituals experienced by women, the paper shows that female practices aimed at reproductive well-being play a specific role in inter-group contacts in shared shrines and have an impact on the process of sharing by different ethnic and confessional communities.

Painted Pomegranates and Needlepoint Rabbis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jodi Eichler-Levine
Keyword(s):  
Jewish Identity ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Jewish People ◽  
Family Stories ◽  
Tikkun Olam ◽  
American Jewish ◽  
Home Studio ◽  
Jewish Americans ◽  
Crucial Part

Exploring a contemporary Judaism rich with the textures of family, memory, and fellowship, Jodi Eichler-Levine takes readers inside a flourishing American Jewish crafting movement. As she travelled across the country to homes, craft conventions, synagogue knitting circles, and craftivist actions, she joined in the making, asked questions, and contemplated her own family stories. Jewish Americans, many of them women, are creating ritual challah covers and prayer shawls, ink, clay, or wood pieces, and other articles for family, friends, or Jewish charities. But they are doing much more: armed with perhaps only a needle and thread, they are reckoning with Jewish identity in a fragile and dangerous world. The work of these crafters embodies a vital Judaism that may lie outside traditional notions of Jewishness, but, Eichler-Levine argues, these crafters are as much engaged as any Jews in honoring and nurturing the fortitude, memory, and community of the Jewish people. Craftmaking is nothing less than an act of generative resilience that fosters survival. Whether taking place in such groups as the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework or the Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh, or in a home studio, these everyday acts of creativity—yielding a needlepoint rabbi, say, or a handkerchief embroidered with the Hebrew words tikkun olam—are a crucial part what makes a religious life.

scholarly journals Regional Features of Some Traditions and Customs in Modern Islam

REGIONOLOGY ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-321
Author(s):  
Maxim Yu. Bareev ◽  
Ruslan R. Agishev
Keyword(s):  
Religious Life ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Religious Ritual ◽  
Regional Features ◽  
Cultural Diffusion ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Muslim Culture ◽  
Ritual Practices

Introduction. The relevance of the issues raised is due to the contradictory nature of the evolution of religious and pseudo-religious rites of Muslims, as well as the ambiguous attitude towards them from the Muslim Ummah of the region. The objective of the study is to explore the regional features of some religious and ethnic cult practices of Muslims residing in the Republic of Mordovia. Materials and Methods. The study considered such materials as the data of the sociological survey “Muslim Traditions and Rites of the Tatars in a Region” employing the method of semi-formalized interviews (47 people), which assessed the level and the intensity of religiosity. The content and specificity of the rites, religious and ethnic rituals were analyzed. The canonicity of the rituals was assessed. Results. Various religious traditions and rites having regional specifics and observed by Muslims in the Republic of Mordovia have been analyzed. These include: a Dua prayer performed over water, the rite of ‘iskyat’, cult of Wali, the rite of ‘bashkoda’ preceding a marriage, and a memorial rite for deceased. An analysis of the religious ritual practices of Muslims in the Republic of Mordovia has made it possible to ascertain the presence of elements of cultural diffusion in some religious practices. Discussion and Conclusion. Despite certain disagreement regarding the performance of a number of religious rites within the regional Muslim Ummah, most of the considered forms of religious life in the minds of people are inseparable from the Muslim tradition and are perceived as part of the original Muslim culture. The materials of the article will be useful for the authorities to improve the regional ethno-confessional policy.

scholarly journals Factors of formation and specific aspects of syncretic processes in Meroe religion

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 921-937
Author(s):  
E. E. Kormysheva
Keyword(s):  
Time Scale ◽  
Mutual Influence ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Main Subject ◽  
World Religions ◽  
The World ◽  
Religious Teaching ◽  
History Of ◽  
Archaeological Cultures ◽  
Ritual Practices

The author explores specific manifestations of the phenomenon of syncretism in theMeroereligion, as well as the factors, which did significantly contribute to it. She traces these factors on a wide time scale starting from the early archaeological cultures of theNileValleyto the Hellenistic time. The main subject of research is the cult of the gods, as well as the myths and rituals, which did accompany worship. The article deals with concepts of ‘unity and multitude’, which were instrumental for creation of local concepts of Egyptian deities. According to the author, this was the beginning of syncretism. Both the subsequent adaptation and acculturation can be seen in rethinking and creating images that retained many primordial Egyptian features. The Meroe ‘friend or foe’ concept could be traced on specific forms of adaptation of ‘enemy’ images to the Meroitic culture and the subsequent perception of them as “own” or “local”. One can identify this process as “inversion”, which run in two directions: the “alien”, i.e. Egyptian gods in fullness of time became “own” gods inMeroe, the gods ofKush, in their turn became part of the Egyptian pantheon. The results of the process, which culminated in creation of a syncretic culture can be seen in emergence of new hitherto unknown deities, which were distinguished by combination of various Greek, Egyptian and Meroitic features. The Hellenistic features ofMeroedeities came to this culture viaEgypt. The formation of the syncreticMeroereligion up to the beginning of the Christian era was marked by the mutual influence and coexistence of “borrowed” deities as well as those, which came into being in course of the process of “borrowing”. The phenomenon of syncretism was spread through many aspects of religious life covering not just individual images of deities or various ritual practices, but also the whole theological system ofEgypt. In the history of the world religions this was the first recorded spread of religious teaching beyond its historical borders and the subsequent adaptation to an “alien”, Sudanese culture.

scholarly journals Customary Institutions and Rules underlying Conservation Functions of Sacred Sites or Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Hasrat Arjjumend ◽  
Henrie Beaulieu-Boon
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Sacred Sites ◽  
Institutional Governance ◽  
Sacred Forests ◽  
Customary Laws ◽  
Marine Areas

Sacred sites, or indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCAs), are repositories of biological and cultural diversity, the spaces de facto governed by Indigenous peoples or local communities. There are many thousands of these sites across the world, including sacred forests, wetlands, landscapes, village lakes, catchment forests, river and coastal stretches and marine areas. Though the backbone of sacred sites or ICCAs is the robust local governance system of Indigenous/customary institutions and their customary laws/rules, aspects such as institutional analysis, institutional governance, customary laws/rules and management systems are inadequately investigated. This article suggests how customary institutions or rules enable the underlying conservation functions of sacred sites or ICCAs and that due recognition and attention need to be given to indigenous protocols re ICCAs to enable the conservation of biological and cultural diversity. Through enabling legislation or policy, the customary institutions of traditional communities managing the sacred sites can be reinforced and restored. Relevance of sacred sites or ICCAs can be established in biodiversity conservation processes if the resilience of customary institutions and the ability of institutions withstanding external challenges are appreciated.

The Influence of Globalization on Japanese Religion

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 97-120
Author(s):  
Nobutaka Inoue
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Folk Beliefs ◽  
Traditional Religions ◽  
New Religions ◽  
Japanese Religion ◽  
Readiness To Adopt ◽  
Modernization Process ◽  
The Many

The process of globalization has significantly and unprecedentedly influenced the activities, teachings, and many other aspects of religions within Japan since the 1980s. While Christian groups have been establishing churches in Japan since the nineteenth century, one now also sees various other religious groups including Muslims from a broad range of countries establishing branch churches and mosques of their own in the country. Meanwhile the many domestic modern new religions that were established during the modernization process now find themselves operating alongside even newer types of religious groups including hyper-religions. When one observes the religious life of ordinary Japanese these days, on the surface little may seem to have changed from before globalization developed in earnest. However, the pop subcultures of the younger generations have demonstrated a readiness to adopt and rearrange elements from religious and folk cultures alien to Japan even as they eschew elements from traditional folk life. The ways in which these foreign folk beliefs and their more magical elements have entered and spread in the country are often unpredictable. Thanks to globalization, the boundaries that once existed among Japanese religions—both among the traditional religions in particular and more generally throughout the religious world as a whole—are gradually dissolving.

Violence in Pacific Islander Traditional Religions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garry Trompf
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islander ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Religious Change ◽  
Gender Imbalance ◽  
Traditional Religions ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
And Gender

An Element on the role of violence in the traditional religions of the Pacific Ilands (Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia) and on violent activity in islander religious life after the opening of Oceania to the modern world. This work covers such issues as tribal warfare, sorcery and witchcraft, traditional punishment and gender imbalance. and moves on to consider reprisals against foreign intruders in the Pacific and the continuation of old types of violence in spite of massive socio-religious change.

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