Citation

Philips M. Am. J. Cult. Sociol. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -- Palgrave-Macmillan)

DOI

10.1057/s41290-022-00162-5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Cultural trauma theory illuminates the meaning-making process that collectivities undergo in the wake of tragedy. I advance this theory by attending to the role of interpretive fields, and specifically religion, in shaping the construction of cultural trauma. I approach religion as a cultural resource that offers meaning-making tools through which people negotiate the meaning and memory of violence. Based on transnational fieldwork among Coptic-Orthodox Christians, I examine competing cultural trauma narratives in response to a brutal wave of violence between 2015 and 2018. While the Coptic Orthodox Church advances a theodicy of martyrdom that transforms death into a blessing, this paper specifically explores how Copts themselves make sense of contemporary martyrdom. Three narratives emerge: First, some Copts embrace the theodicy of martyrdom, finding solace in the promise of the afterlife. Second, some Copts reject the theodicy of martyrdom in favor of a theology of advocacy that emphasizes the right to life. Third, some Copts negotiate a hybrid theology of advocacy and theodicy of martyrdom, emphasizing the right to life on earth and in heaven. These contested narratives reveal how religion shapes cultural trauma by both engaging with the problem of theodicy as well as ideas of citizenship and civic engagement.

Language: en

Keywords

Cultural trauma; Egypt; Martyrdom; Religion; Rights; Theodicy