Az online ima kapcsolati rítusa roma közösségekben a pandémia idején
The Relational Ritual of Online Prayer in Roma Communities During the Pandemic
Author(s): Andrea SzalaiSubject(s): Media studies, Sociolinguistics, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Theory of Communication, Social Theory, Sociology of Religion, Identity of Collectives
Published by: Fórum Kisebbségkutató Intézet
Keywords: ritual of contact; online communication; community of practice; Covid-19; language use in Roma communities
Summary/Abstract: During the pandemic, a worldwide revival of religious discourse was observed. Insecurity and isolation in the Transylvanian Gábor Roma communities, which were heavily affected by the pandemic, also intensified the need to turn to the transcendent. This has given rise to the practice of online prayer (lajvo manglimo) on social media, a ritual of both turning to the sacred and affirming social solidarity. While prayer used to be an institutional or private practice, mainly linked to the Adventist prayer house scene, it has become an ethnicised, online relational ritual in the Covid period, largely in Romani and with Roma participants. Through participation in prayer, Roma who had been forced to isolate themselves from each other created trans-local online communities of practice, and a new public arena for Romani language use was created. This paper examines the structure, function, institutionalisation and impact of online prayer on Romani language use based on data collected through online fieldwork.
Journal: Fórum Társadalomtudományi Szemle
- Issue Year: XXVI/2024
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 141-164
- Page Count: 24
- Language: Hungarian