Power and Religiosity in a Post-Colonial Setting
(Book #87 in the Cambridge Studies in Social Anthropology Series)
No Customer Reviews
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
Over the last few decades a series of Catholic shrines have sprung up in Sri Lanka which draw hundreds of pilgrims. Although best known as centres for the exorcism of the demonically possessed, their miraculous efficacy also extends to helping people find jobs and preferment, and to alleviating suffering. Dr Stirrat, who has worked in Sri Lanka over a long period, is interested both in how people behave at the shrines, and in the historical and social contexts in which the shrines have appeared. He argues that an understanding of their religious importance is intricately connected with power, both religious and political. This view challenges the conventional distinction between religion and politics, and religious suffering is seen as a complex metaphor linking together various social domains and a means through which conflicts over power and authority can be expressed. Dr Stirrat treats the development of these shrines, the discourses used, and the goals of the devotees both as commentaries on changing power relations and as attempts by the faithful to gain access to divine power.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0521415551
ISBN13:9780521415552
Release Date:September 1992
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Length:260 Pages
Weight:1.21 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 6.2" x 9.3"
Customer Reviews
0 rating
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
