Entering the field: initiating liturgical research in an African Independent Church (AIC)
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Date
2010
Authors
Wepener, C.
Barnard, M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State
Abstract
African Independent Churches (AICs) have been studied by scholars from various
disciplines, especially Missiology and Anthropology, making use of various methods
including participatory observation. In Ritual and Liturgical Studies, AICs and their
abundance of rituals is still a rather under-explored field of research with several reasons
making it a difficult area to access. In this article, one aspect of participatory observation
in researching ritual action in AICs will be explored, namely the initial phase of entering
the field. Real examples from a current South African National Research Foundation
(NRF)-funded research project as conducted by a team of scholars including some from
the field of Ritual and Liturgical Studies will first be described and thereafter discussed.
Diachronically, the initial phase stretching from a pre-proposal workshop until the first
attendance of a worship service in a local congregation is sketched and commented
upon.
Description
Keywords
Liturgy, Ritual, Participatory observation, Social capital
Citation
Wepener, C., & Barnard, M. (2010). Entering the field: initiating liturgical research in an African Independent Church (AIC). Acta Theologica, 30(2), 192-210.