Ethnography of Religious Activity

Varia: Everyday Religion
By Albert Piette
English

This paper starts from the challenges faced by and the reluctance of the sociology of religions to face the “religious fact” as such. In his ethnographical field study, the author observes a priest at work in a parish of a French diocese day after day. He describes the sequences of actions observed in situations and more especially the interactional competence and argumentative capacity of this priest faced with various difficulties. He stresses the critical role of the priest and the resulting reversals of situation. As if he did not accept the rigidity of the religious fact, this priest contributes to its “shift,” while at the same time continuing to manage the relations of the faithful with an absent God.

Keywords

  • religion
  • catholicism
  • interaction
  • controversy
  • god
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