Att leva och läsa Bibeln : Textpraktiker i två kristna församlingar

• This thesis is based on two years of participant observation in two Christian congregations in a Swedish town. The Book-congregation represents the core of Swedish Free Churches (baptism), the Life-congregation (faith community) belongs to a movement inspired by North American Fundamentalism. During the 1980s, a cult controversy has emerged in Sweden, concerning the legitimacy of the new congregations, to which the latter belongs. "Ways of taking" from the Bible, that haveimportance for ideologizing processes, is part of the agenda of the controversy.The aim of the thesis is to Study the ethnography of Bible reading, is similar to that in other studies within ethnography and sociology of culture, aiming at exploring the "ideological" and sociocultural embeddedness of communication. Other analytical concepts used, such as interpretive communities,strategies and narratives, are derived from literary theory and reception analysis.Analyzing Bible reading from this perspective leads to a rich portrayal of the literacy practices of the members. Various literacy events in the communicative economy are highlighted, including interviews, Bible classes, healing classes and the members reading of certain texts from the New Testament (chapters 3-6). This leads to the decentering ofthe notion of "interpretation", which has been the major· focus in previous studies. The keywords of living and reading the Bible are illustrative of the literacy practices in the congregations.The literacy practices are discussed in relation to the members attitudes towards society and modernity. The poetics and politics of Bible reading involve different conceptions of the role of the Bible in contemporary moral discourse; as a "tool" or as a "weapon" in the competition for cultural legitimacy. Throughout the thesis, the practice of re-presentationin science and religion is discussed. It is argued that methodological reflexivity facilitates an understanding of modern and anti-modern communicative cultures as realities lived.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Bible reading

New Testament translation

reception analysis

interpretive 'colnmunities

ethnography of communication

literacy practice

modernity

reflexivity

free churches

faith communities

INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AREAS

TVÄRVETENSKAPLIGA FORSKNINGSOMRÅDEN

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

dok (subject category)