The Transcultural Dynamics of Naming

The Appropriation and Contestation of Evangelical and Pentecostal as Identity Markers in Local Contexts

Authors

  • Katja Rakow Utrecht University
  • Esther Berg-Chan Diocese Rottenburg-Stuttgart

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/pent.38767

Keywords:

Evangelical, Charismatic, Pentecostal, born-again, David W. Bebbington, defining/categorizing Petencostalism, transcultural dynamics, identity politics, politics of naming

Abstract

In our afterword to the special issue on the negotiation of Christian identities between global entanglement and local identity politics, we shed light on what unites the four contributions and provide some questions that invite us to think further. We argue that all four of the presented case studies demonstrate that naming is a dynamic, contested and on-going process that unfolds between the local and the global and to which we thus refer to as the "transcultural dynamics of naming". We ask if these dynamics play out differently in everyday life practices and institutional politics; if these dynamics have to be analysed as instances of identity politics or if other concepts might offer more analytical purchase; and finally, we ask how religious identifications materialize on the ground and what material effects they might produce.

 

Author Biographies

  • Katja Rakow, Utrecht University

    Katja Rakow is associate professor of religious studies at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Utrecht University. Her research focuses on megachurches in the US and Singapore with a special interest in material religion and the transcultural dynamics of religious practices and discourses.

  • Esther Berg-Chan, Diocese Rottenburg-Stuttgart

    Esther Berg-Chan studied religious studies, East Asian studies and transcultural studies in Heidelberg and Taipei, and holds a PhD in religious studies from the University of Heidelberg. Her areas of interest include religion in modern times, Pentecostal, Charismatic and Evangelical Christianities, and megachurches with a special focus on Asia. She now works as adult education professional for the Diocese Rottenburg-Stuttgart in Germany.

References

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Published

2019-06-20

How to Cite

Rakow, K., & Berg-Chan, E. (2019). The Transcultural Dynamics of Naming: The Appropriation and Contestation of Evangelical and Pentecostal as Identity Markers in Local Contexts. PentecoStudies, 18(1), 99-110. https://doi.org/10.1558/pent.38767