Abstract
The transformations in religiousness that have taken place in recent decades, which can be signaled by notions such as individualization, subjectivization, or privatization, are prompting the search for new forms of research into religious phenomena. One interesting and inspiring research material may be the contemporary prayer books of intentions recorded by orants in various sacred places. They also have increasingly popular online counterparts - places on the web where one can submit one’s prayers. In the past, such texts used to have a very formalized canon - and were distinguished by a high level of formality. Nowadays, according to research, the texts written by orants in these kinds of prayer books are characterized by a considerable degree of polyphonic - both formally and thematically. They are a manifestation of different ways of life, narratives created about it, interpretation of one’s own lot, perception of the world and its principles, as well as understanding one’s own place in it and diversifying positively and negatively valued individual experiences. The paper presents my research results - analyses of traditional prayer books from various shrines (but also, for example, from the Chapel at Warsaw Chopin Airport) and prayer entries posted on the Internet. A methodological proposal for working with such highly intimate personal documents is also presented - together with an indication of their potential for identifying the religious worlds of contemporary man.
Presenters
Rafał CekieraAssociate Professor, Institute of Sociology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Slaskie, Poland
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Fragile Meanings: Vulnerability in the Study of Religions and Spirituality
KEYWORDS
Prayer, Intercessory prayer, Prayer books of intentions
