Of Rice and Men

Abstract

When Diola Christians participated in their male initiation rites despite missionary objections, the argument was framed in theological terms. But Diola actions regarding this and other reUgious practices can only be understood within the wider frame of ecological changes that have challenged not only their agrarian UveUhoods but their very conceptions of personhood and processes of socialization. Given the decUne in rain, Diola males can no longer 'become men' in the rice paddies. By drawing out connections among Diola agrarian culture, ideals of masculinity, current environmental conditions, and missionary pressures, I argue that this incident-and, by implication, reUgious change more broadly-must be appreciated not only for its theological significance within Diola agrarian culture, but as enmeshed in contemporary dynamics of climate change.

Adapting to climate change in shifting landscapes of belief

“…Evidence is emerging across different cultures and resource systems in the Global South of tensions wrought by changing religious beliefs that undermine adaptive capacity (e.g. Kuruppu 2009;Tang and Tang 2010;Davidson 2012;Watson and Kochore 2012;Paerregaard 2013).…”

Religion and climate change: varieties in viewpoints and practices

“…Some evidence indicates that conservatives or liberals in one denomination have more in common with those of a political persuasion similar to their own, but in another denomination than they may have with religious brethren in their own denomination . It is becoming clear that believers are also embedded in local networks which have considerable effect on the application of faith principles to practical action on climate change …”

“…In their view, modernity, secularism, ecological exploitation, and moral decay are associated while tradition is idealized, creating a narrative of a return to harmony. Other studies discern similar belief structures (e.g.,). Researchers using interviews to achieve more nuance than surveys provide showed that even evangelical Christian eschatology‐based fatalism coincides with other beliefs that could substantiate environmental concern and acceptance of anthropogenic climate change .…”

“…90 It is becoming clear that believers are also embedded in local networks which have considerable effect on the application of faith principles to practical action on climate change. [91][92][93][94][95][96] With this in mind, it may be more productive to use a 'family resemblance' approach to understand religion. One could argue that all things categorized as 'religions' (or 'spiritualities') have six integrated dimensions in lesser or greater degree: doctrine, sacred narrative, ethics, ritual, experience, and social institutions.…”

“…In the first example, among the Diola of Guinea-Bissau, Roman Catholic practices had been relatively well accepted, yet controversy erupted recently over participation in ceremonies that built metaphysical bridges between land and masculine farming roles, which had previously been communally agreed upon as inconsistent with the Catholic faith. 91 The Diola men felt changing precipitation patterns (possibly climate-induced) compelled their participation in these rituals. In a second example, Hermesse probed the understandings of climate change among rural people in a region of Guatemala, drawing distinctions between Mayan indigenous practice, Roman Catholicism and Pentecostal Christianity.…”