The sacred in the city / edited by Liliana Gómez and Walter van Herck.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Gómez, Liliana.

Herck, Walter van, 1962-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cities and towns--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Cities and towns.

Physical Description:

xii, 265 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Continuum, [2012]

Summary:

This book reflects the way in which the city interacts with the sacred in all its many guises, with religion and the human search for meaning in life. As the process of urbanization of society is accelerating thus giving an increasing importance to cities and the 'metropolis', it is relevant to investigate the social or cultural cohesion that these urban agglomerations manifest. Religion is keenly observed as witnessing a growth, crucially impacting cultural and political dynamics, as well as determining the emergence of new sacred symbols and their inscription in urban spaces worldwide. The sacred has become an important category of a new interpretation of social and cultural transformation processes. From a unique broader perspective, the volume focuses on the relationship between the city and the sacred. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, combining the expertise of philosophers, historians, architects, social geographers, sociologists and anthropologists, it draws a nuanced picture of the different layers of religion, of the sacred and its diverse forms within the city, with examples from Europe, South America and the Caribbean, and Africa. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part One: The Sacred and the City: Theoretical Approaches

Chapter 1 Sacred Horror Vacui: A Philosophical Reflection / Walter Van Herck Herck, Walter Van 15

Chapter 2 The Urbanization of Society: Towards a Cultural Analysis of the Sacred in the Modern Metropolis / Liliana Gómez Gómez, Liliana 31

Chapter 3 The Lingering Smell of Incense: Exploring Post-secular Public Space / Pieter Dronkers Dronkers, Pieter 52

Part 2 Religion, Built Environments and Urban Societies

Chapter 4 Religion in the Built Environment: Aesth/Ethics, Ritual and Memory in Lived Urban Space / Sigurd Bergmann Bergmann, Sigurd 73

Chapter 5 Kinhin in a Megacity - Implicit Meanings of the 'Walking-in-the-Park'-Movement in Sao Paulo / Frank Usarski Usarski, Frank 96

Chapter 6 Life Stance and Religious Identity in an Urbanized World: The Meaning of Life as Modern Predicament / Rik Pinxten Pinxten, Rik, Lisa Dikomitis Dikomitis, Lisa 108

Part 3 Sacred Symbols, Sacred Spaces

Chapter 7 Sacred Symbols of the City: Babel, Barbara and their Towers / Anne-Marie Korte Korte, Anne-Marie 127

Chapter 8 Communicating the Elemental Cosmos: The Hereford Mappa Mundi, Sacred Space and the City / Renée Köhler-Ryan Köhler-Ryan, Renée 141

Chapter 9 Relocating and Negotiating the Sacred: The Reception of a Chapel in a Shopping Mall / Peter Nynäs Nynäs, Peter, Anne Birgitta Pessi Pessi, Anne Birgitta 161

Part 4 Politics of the Sacred in Contemporary Urban Spaces

Chapter 10 Kinshasa and its (Un) Certainties: The Polis and the Sacred / Filip De Boeck Boeck, Filip De 191

Chapter 11 The Politics of a Sacred Place: Revisiting an Israeli Development Town / Haim Yacobi Yacobi, Haim 244

Chapter 12 The Sacred in the City: Havana. Alejo Carpentier or 'Fieldwork' in the Urban / Liliana Gómez Gómez, Liliana 227

Chapter 13 Remaking Sacred Spaces after Socialism in Ukraine / Catherine Wanner Wanner, Catherine 244.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781441172952

1441172955

9781441188106

144118810X

OCLC:

714723138