Eschatology, Ethics, and Ēthnos: Ressentiment and Christian Nationalism in the Anthropology of Christianity

Postcolonial nationalism and neo‐Pentecostalism: A case from Papua New Guinea

“…The transnational character of Pentecostal Christianity may, at first, pose a problem for nationalist movements and ideologies as they try to assert unique identities and histories. However, various studies of the diverse ways in which this form of Christianity can be coupled with nationalism confirm Bialecki's (2017) remark that the relationship between these phenomena is not immutable. Bialecki (2017) claims that the materialization of this relationship allows for the incorporation of typically nationalist rhetoric and symbols.…”

“…However, various studies of the diverse ways in which this form of Christianity can be coupled with nationalism confirm Bialecki's (2017) remark that the relationship between these phenomena is not immutable. Bialecki (2017) claims that the materialization of this relationship allows for the incorporation of typically nationalist rhetoric and symbols. Included among those are ideas of being "chosen" by God (Smith, 2003), assertions of value which distinguish good from bad and from atypical citizens (O'Neill, 2010) and, more generally, studies on the different levels of believers' interest in national matters depending on historical context and location (Freston, 1995;Gooren, 2018,) In PNG, anthropologists have studied cases in which Christians develop a "negative nationalism" (Robbins, 1998) according to which national belonging is perceived in a depreciative light.…”

Viral Intimacy and Catholic Nationalist Political Economy

“…Rather than existing universally across cultural contexts, Christian nationalisms take distinct forms that draw on local histories (Bialecki 2017). Prior to Ireland's successful war of independence against (Protestant) British rule (1919)(1920)(1921), Catholicism had become inseparable from a revolutionary Irish national identity.…”

Ordinary ethics and its temporalities: The Christian God and the 2016 Ghanaian elections

“…My conversations with Prince and Kwabena capture the expectations of immanent change and the imminent realities of what may come. Prince and Kwabena had different ethical positions when articulating the relationship between their born-again Christian identities and politics as they engaged with Ghana’s “near future.” Their divergent articulations of the character of Nana Akufo-Addo suggest that their Christian identity was affected by national politics, as much as Christianity affected their political identities (Bialecki, 2017). 5 These ethnographic vignettes develop a picture of life in Ghana not caught solely in religious life or national politics but in the complex frictions of Ghanaian born-again Christians making their way in the world.…”