Exemplary Life : Modelling Sainthood in Christian Syria / Andreas Bandak.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bandak, Andreas, author.

Series:

Anthropological horizons.

Anthropological horizons

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cults.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 235 pages).

Place of Publication:

Toronto : University of Toronto Press, 2022.

Summary:

Based on over five years of ethnographic fieldwork in Syria, Exemplary Life focuses on the life of a Damascus woman, Myrna Nazzour, who serves as an aspirational figure in her community. Myrna is regarded by her followers as an exemplary figure, a living saint, and the messages, apparitions, stigmata, and oil that have marked Myrna since 1982 have corroborated her status as chosen by God. Exemplary Life probes the power of examples, the modelling of sainthood around Myrna’s figure, and the broader context for Syrian Christians in the changing landscape of the Middle East. The book highlights the social use of examples such as the ones inhabited by Myrna’s devout followers and how they reveal the broader structures of illustration, evidence, and persuasion in social and cultural settings. Andreas Bandak argues that the role of the example should incite us to investigate which trains of thought set local worlds in motion. In doing so, Exemplary Life presents a novel frame for examining how religion comes to matter to people and adds a critical dimension to current anthropological engagements with ethics and morality.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Prologue

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Modelling Sainthood in Christian Syria

Chapter One Closer to Mary

Chapter Two Repeated Prayers

Chapter Three Exemplary Series

Chapter Four Life and Story

Chapter Five Signs and Evidence

Chapter Six Prophecies of Unity

Chapter Seven Damascus Speaking

Conclusion Towards an Anthropology of the Example

Epilogue Of Miracles and the Belatedness of Examples

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Description based on: online resource; title from PDF information screen (de gruyter, viewed November 20, 2022).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-4875-4296-8

OCLC:

1308499533