Knowing, Being, and Doing Religion

Abstract

This article introduces a new analytical model for researching vernacular religion, which aims to capture and describe everyday religiosity as an interplay between knowing, being, and doing religion. It suggests three processes that tie this triad together: continuity; change; and context. The model is envisaged as a tool for tracing vernacular religion in ethnographic data in a multidimensional yet structured framework that is sensitive to historical data and cultural context, but also to individual narratives and nuances. It highlights the relationship between self-motivated modes of religiosity and institutional structures, as well as influences from secular sources and various traditions and worldviews.The article is based on an ongoing research project focusing on everyday Judaism in Finland. The ethnographic examples illustrate how differently these dynamics play out in different life narratives, depending on varying emphases, experiences, and situations. By bringing together major themes recognized as relevant in previous research and offering an analytical tool for detecting them in ethnographic materials, the model has the potential to create new openings for comparative research, because it facilitates the interlinking of datasets across contexts and cultures. The article concludes that the model can be developed into a more generally applicable analytical tool for structuring and elucidating contemporary ethnographies, mirroring a world of rapid cultural and religious change.

Chabad on Ice

“…As she emphasised in her interview, she is not observant, but does find joy in fol lowing some Jewish traditions, or cook ing Jewish dishes strictly in a 'traditional' way. This form of Jewish identification has previously been highlighted by a recent article (see Illman and Czimbalmos 2020) Chanuka on Ice in Helsinki.…”

Sphinx 2023-2024

“…Den viktiga poängen i det här citatet kommer på slutet: vardagsreligiositet är starkt förknippad med det institutionella och de etablerade maktstrukturerna som en motpart -inte motpoltill det personliga. Det här framstod som viktigt för oss: att inte bara fokusera på den individuella, levda vardagen, utan att försöka fånga den ständigt pågående dialogen med de övergripande strukturerna för den enskildas vardag, både då vi kämpar emot strukturerna och då vi finner stöd och uppmuntran i dem (Illman & Czimbalmos 2020).…”

Bending, Breaking and Adhering to Rules of Contemporary Jewish Practice in Finland

“…A concrete example is the segregation of the genders along the binary: if all genders would be allowed to sit together, or read from the Torah, the ultra-Orthodox members would not feel welcome to attend the services. However, to cater for everyone's needs and preferences, the communities allow for 'small adjustments' in various aspects of observance (Illman and Czimbalmos 2020;Czimbalmos 2021;Tuori 2022). When trying to understand the dynamics between halakhah and minhag, the analytical framework of vernacular religion offers an insightful perspective.…”

“…In the vernacular religion framework, institutional structures and cultural context are related to individual narratives and nuances, described as 'self-motivated' ways of being, knowing, and doing religion (Illman and Czimbalmos 2020;Warburg 2016). In this way, we strive to shed light on the complex ways in which the relationships between freedom and rules take form in our research, how the interviewees relate to religious precepts, and the limits they define for their possibilities, motivation, and commitment to following them.…”