| In God's Image: The Metaculture of Fijian Christianity Volume 5 Contributor(s): Tomlinson, Matthew Akim (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0520257782 ISBN-13: 9780520257788 Publisher: University of California Press OUR PRICE: $34.60 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2009 Annotation: Today, most indigenous Fijians are Christians, and the Methodist Church is the foundation of their social and political lives. Yet, as this thought-provoking study of life on rural Kadavu Island finds, Fijians also believe that their ancestors possessed an inherent strength that is lacking in the present day. Looking in particular at the interaction between the church and the traditional chiefly system, Matt Tomlinson finds that this belief about the superiority of the past provokes great anxiety, and that Fijians seek ways of recovering this strength through ritual and political action--Christianity itself simultaneously generates a sense of loss and the means of recuperation. To unravel the cultural dynamics of Christianity in Fiji, Tomlinson explores how this loss is expressed through everyday language and practices. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Anthropology - Cultural & Social - Social Science | Sociology Of Religion - History | Oceania |
| Dewey: 287.099 |
| LCCN: 2008031254 |
| Series: Anthropology of Christianity |
| Physical Information: 0.7" H x 5.9" W x 8.8" (0.80 lbs) 263 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Christian - Cultural Region - Oceania |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Today, most indigenous Fijians are Christians, and the Methodist Church is the foundation of their social and political lives. Yet, as this thought-provoking study of life on rural Kadavu Island finds, Fijians also believe that their ancestors possessed an inherent strength that is lacking in the present day. Looking in particular at the interaction between the church and the traditional chiefly system, Matt Tomlinson finds that this belief about the superiority of the past provokes great anxiety, and that Fijians seek ways of recovering this strength through ritual and political action-Christianity itself simultaneously generates a sense of loss and the means of recuperation. To unravel the cultural dynamics of Christianity in Fiji, Tomlinson explores how this loss is expressed through everyday language and practices. |