Apophatic love, contagion, and surveillance
Orthodox Christian responses to the global pandemic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7640790 |
|---|---|
| Authors | T Carroll (0000-0003-4220-9745, Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom, corresponding author), Nicholas Lackenby (0000-0003-3692-2536, Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom), Jenia Gorbanenko (0000-0003-0999-2918, Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 430-445 |
| Publication date | 2022-10-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Anthropology and Medicine (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1364-8470 • E-ISSN: 1469-2910 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13648470.2022.2080180 |
| PMID | 35946326 |
| OpenAlex | W4297825230 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 11 |
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Orthodox Christians globally reacted to the possibility of contagion and risk in dialogue with theological positions about materials, their own long history which includes surviving previous pandemics and plagues, governmental and civil expectations and edicts, and pious - but often unofficial - understandings about protection and the sacrality of religious artefacts and the space of the temple. This article draws upon primary ethnographic research amongst Orthodox Christians in the UK, Serbia, Greece and Russia, as well as news articles about and primary ecclesiastical documents from Orthodox Churches more widely, to highlight commonalities and divergences in Orthodox Christian responses to the pandemic. Examining both the theological basis, and socio-political differences, this article considers how the Orthodox theology of apophaticism and relationality impacts wider discourses of contagion (both positive and negative), and consequently compliance with public health initiatives. Comparison across diverse Orthodox settings suggests that Orthodox Christians are concerned with the neighbour - both in terms of who may be watching (and reporting) them, and who may fall sick because of them
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Ethnography · Infectious disease (medical specialty · Pandemic · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Anthropology · History · Law · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Medicine · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Ecology, and Ethics
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |