Les pèlerines, la religion vécue et la Roumanie postcommuniste
At the end of 1989, Romania embarked on a path towards democracy. From that moment on, the country has witnessed numerous changes, including a “religious revitalization.” The attraction of religion in post-communist Romania has sparked researchers’ interest; they have tried to explain what they judge contrary to theories of secularization and modernization. My thesis starts with a critique of these studies, which have too often neglected everyday actions of individuals. In the present study, I use a lived religion approach to understand the ways in which individuals understand, express, practice and experiment religion in their daily lives. In a reflexive manner, my thesis examines lived religion in post-communist Romania; it draws on fieldwork undertaken during pilgrimages in the spring and autumn of 2012 in monasteries known for their miracles, their charismatic confessors, or their relics. Because of their predominance during pilgrimages, women stand out as the main actors of lived religion in Romania. They are at the center of my thesis. Observing their beliefs and practices—without omitting the lived religion of the “carriers of official religion”—I set out to explore themes that represent as many facets of lived religion: fate, charisma, materiality, and relics. My thesis offers two research contributions to the sociology of religion. 1) The study of the pilgrim’s religious practice instructs us on the manner in which religion is understood and practiced in an Orthodox context. It also gives insight into the consequences of this practice in post-communist Romania: as it turns out, lived religion is a vehicle for values diverging from the official democratic discourse. 2) The study provides a theoretical and methodological contribution to the lived religion approach. Its empirical material indicates that lived religion stems from the Orthodox Church before circulating between women and church representatives. In this to-and-fro movement lived religion pertains to the pilgrims as well as to the “carriers of official religion.”
Orthodoxie Lived religion Pilgrimages Romania Post-Communism Orthodoxy Religious practice Materiality Orthodox Church