The Body of Mary: Embodiment and Identity in Modern Apparitions

Abstract

In modern Marian apparitions, Mary’s material presence is evoked for believers, who negotiate religious and other identities around her maternal figure. My contention, drawing from material theories of religion and postcolonial theories, and based on ethnographic fieldwork at one apparition site in addition to social scientific literature, is that Roman Catholic devotees of Mary negotiate identities along three trajectories. First, apparitions offer sites for individuals to articulate ethnic and national identities through devotional practices. Second, individuals bring apparitional messages and interpretations to bear on contemporary political concerns. Finally, sites afford opportunities for devotees to foster relationships with Mary as agent. Material and postcolonial theories illustrate how embodiment and presence inform devotees’ identities as children of Mary.