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Accepted Paper:
Older people as carriers of culture: the role of commensality and religious infrastructure in age-friendly communities
Luciana Lang
(University of Manchester)
This paper looks at the role played by older people as carriers of cultural heritage in religious spaces. Drawing on ethnography conducted in four religious spaces in Manchester, United Kingdom, this analysis assess the material and immaterial elements that constitute religious heritage.
Paper long abstract:
Drawing on ethnography conducted in four religious spaces in Manchester, United Kingdom, this paper assesses the protagonist role of older people in promoting cultural heritage in faith-based spaces (e.g., mosques/temples/churches/synagogues), where commensality emerges as a key aspect of that transmission of knowledge. In some faith communities, religion and culture are seen as one, and as an important social infrastructure, religious spaces promote social connectivity through commensality. Ethnographic work conducted in religious spaces revealed that younger participants often see older people as ‘carriers of culture’, and religious spaces as places where traditions are enacted. This is a relevant finding that reveals the important role of older people in transmitting knowledge that younger generations have limited access to, with materials mediating between them and their spirituality. These forms of knowledge include particular rituals, songs, foods, and other embodied practices performed by older people. The research has provided insights into the ways in which health, well-being and social inclusion can be enhanced through the involvement of faith-based organisations.