From Passion to Compassion : Healing Rituals and Gender in an Independent Church in Southern Ghana

概要

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In this study I analyze the characteristics of an independent church in postcolonial Ghanaian society, focusing on the experiences of female adherents. Previous studies concerning African Christianity tend to center around the conversion of African males as a process of creating modern citizens. In this study, I specifically deal with an independent church called the Faith Salvation Church, in Southern Ghana, which has attracted people by offering healing rituals based on the prophecies of the Holy Spirit. Although it is organized by males, the healer/prophet mainly treats women with gynecological problems. Focusing on the bodily transition of women through the healing process, I point out that their experiences cannot be fully interpreted by viewing them as a means of creating modern citizens. Rather, they can be better understood through the corporeal and communal interactions between the female adherents; interactions which create a community of pain and recovery within the male-centered church structure.
日本文化人類学会の論文