A technology of re-enchantment

Reading, referencing, and redistributing Orthodox 'spiritual literature' in post-Yugoslav Serbia

Bibliographic Data

ID4373371
AuthorsNicholas Lackenby (0000-0003-3692-2536, Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume54
Issue1
Pages126-142
Publication date2024-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0048-721X • E-ISSN: 1096-1151
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0048721x.2023.2277020
OpenAlexW4388539058
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited19

This article explores the issue of 're-enchantment' through an ethnographic analysis of 'spiritual literature' in post-Yugoslav Serbia. Following the anthropologist Alfred Gell, it argues that Orthodox texts can be understood as 'enchanted technology' which, in turn, allows them to work as a 'technology of enchantment'. Spiritual literature - distributed as physical objects between bags, bookshelves, bookshops, and kiosks, as well as digitally via social media - can propel some people to grow as Orthodox Christians and relate to society in Orthodox terms. After situating the re-emergence of Orthodox publishing in historical perspective, the article shows how people defer to books and how texts circulate. Overall, the article reveals the mechanics of one form of re-enchantment

Interactive kiosk · Balkans: History, Politics, Society · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Religious Tourism and Spaces

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access