Confronting Loneliness with Devotion
A Short-Term Ethnography of Bible (E-)Reading in a Palliative Care Unit
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20254408 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gaudenz Urs Metzger (0000-0003-2062-7030, Zurich University of the Arts, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 2-3 |
| Pages | 340-361 |
| Publication date | 2023-11-30 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Religion Media and Digital Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2588-8099 • E-ISSN: 2165-9214 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1163/21659214-bja10085 |
| OpenAlex | W4390882109 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
Today, the practice of religion is strongly influenced by digitalisation, in not only everyday life but also liminal situations such as dying. Apps, social networks, and virtual church services offer believers opportunities for participation when their mobility is impaired due to ageing and severe illness. This short-term ethnography explores Bible (e-)reading and (religious) encounters in a palliative care unit of a Swiss hospital, drawing on in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentary photography. Using the case of a devout Protestant, who was chosen as a case study from a sample of 12 terminally ill patients, I will investigate 1) the existential issues involved in the dying process, 2) how Bible (e-)reading alleviates these issues, and 3) the networks and encounters with which the practice is connected. The results show that anticipation of death in conjunction with personality and social issues bestow a complex emotional tone on the Christian’s end-of-life journey. Bible reading, performed both through mobile mediation and face-to-face with companions, is an avenue through which to gain strength and hope in this difficult situation. Another important finding is that the devotional practice involves an exchange of gifts, which transposes the practice into a moral economy of compassion and care
Loneliness · Political science · Sociology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Law · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology
Loneliness in Modern Life
Religion, Spirituality, and Health
Modernity and self-identity
Being Protestant in Reformation Britain
The Bible in Protestant Religious Life in Germany
Reading the Bible, Stressful Life Events, and Hope
The Habits and Hermeneutics of Digital Bible Readers
The (Un)Stable Digital Bible
Lifelong Spiritual Learning
Modernity and Self-Identity
The Gift
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science
From growth to silence
Dreaming On
There’s a religious app for that! A framework for studying religious mobile applications
The grand interruption
Private practice
Design and the digital Bible
Faith and health self-management of rural older adults
Age and loneliness in 25 European nations
Understanding the Relationship between Religion Online and Offline in a Networked Society
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Does the Internet Change How We Die and Mourn? Overview and Analysis
The Sage Handbook of Visual Research Methods
Modernity, Self-Identity and the Sequestration of Death
| Highly cited | No |
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