Paper short abstract:

I introduce my method (ADA) that combines discourse analysis with cognitive semantics built on a text-corpus that I collected during my long-term anthropological fieldwork amongst new religious movements in Romania, Serbia, and Hungary. I apply quantitative methods in the qualitative interpretation.

Paper long abstract:

I introduce “ADA” as a research and interpretative method for the study of religions. I worked it out during my BA, MA, and Ph.D. studies at the University of Pécs (Hungary) between 2007 and 2020 (I received my Ph.D. degree in 2020 summa cum laude). I combine interpretive anthropology, based on long-term anthropological fieldwork, with discourse analysis and cognitive semantics. The corpus of the field notes, records, registers, and online recorded files arose from multi-sited fieldwork that I conducted amongst new religious movements in Romania, Serbia, and Hungary between 2007 and 2019. I basically rely on participant observation, nevertheless, I also make interviews and online ethnography. ADA involves and uses quantitative tools for qualitative interpretation in order to have a more authentic and elaborate analysis. I want to trace out the nuances, the graduation of changes, and the inner layers of the discourse (in the actual discourse space). I outline my ADA method by explaining how it works in an actual NRM's analysis. The particular religious group that I chose for demonstrating my method is the Lights, a Charismatic Christian movement in Romania, Serbia, and Hungary (established in 2008). The group has a special “language” in which some words’ cognitive meaning field extends and transforms from their “everyday meaning” and step-by-step receive a new common meaning layer constructed inside the group. Example of demonstrating the process is the word “energy” and “resonance”. The former became a core principle of the group’s theology, while the latter caused confusion, so it was erased from the discourse. The frequency of their usage, their connotation, context, and their main meaning all changed in some years. Quantitative and qualitative interpretations complement each other when I unfold how the transforming of the meanings was (re)constructed during the group’s multi-layered and complex discourse.

Paper short abstract:

The talk explores religious practices as media practices which have shaped not only modern media but also media theory.

Paper long abstract:

Media are not only objects, techniques, devices or infrastructures that can be observed not only by media scholars – thinking itself is determined by its media, writing as much as machine learning. Media philosophy thus turns on one hand to aesthetic practices to explore how different techniques, tools, materials, architectures etc. are reflected in art (Busch, Mersch, Bal), on the other hand to technical operations like feedback-loops as a form of thinking – reflection is then considered to be based in (cultural) techniques (Kittler, Siegert, Hansen, Hayles). The talk proposes a media theoretical reading of religious practices, looking for „blind spots“ of both models paying attention to the specificity of religious „non-sovereign“ practices, which cannot be reduced to intentional, „active“ models of practice (Agamben), neither to mechanical processes or automatisms (Winkler), exploring heteronomous concepts of media practice connected to "cultural techniques" (Siegert, Krämer), "agency" (Latour) or"gesture" (Flusser).

Paper long abstract:

In Sweden, visits to cemeteries at the All saints’ day-weekend has become an increasingly popular practice. About ten years ago it was estimated that about 50% of the population undertook a visit to cemeteries during the weekend and more recently it has been suggested that the celebration of All saints’ day is a new national ritual. That visits to cemeteries is a common practice during the weekend is well known, not least among staff at churchyard administrations, how widespread the practice is, is however largely unknown. We do not know which parts of the Swedish population in terms of for example age and ethnic and religious background that make visits or the reasons for these persons’ visits. To learn more about these issues and to test methodologies for studying the use of cemeteries at All saints’ day weekend a small pilot study was conducted in the fall 2021 and 2022. In the pilot study short highly structured interviews were conducted on the largest cemetery in Gothenburg and observations were made at parts of it. We also explored how photographic documentation could be used and challenges that comes with that method. In this presentation results of this study will be presented together with an overview of what we know of about the practice in contemporary Sweden.