Religion and Materiality: Food, ‘Fetish’ and Other Matters

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Why is it rewarding to analyse religion from a material angle and which future research directions emerge? This chapter firstly conceptualizes materiality in dialogue with incentives offered by new materialism and, secondly, assesses which forms of material religion have so far received too little attention. Thirdly, inspired by Feuerbach’s gastro-philosophy, I argue that food is an existential material form through which humans are enveloped into a grounded exchange with the world. Finally, introducing a collection of “hungry” legba-figures in the Übersee-Museum Bremen, Germany, I call attention to feeding spirits as a prime religious practice. Religion should be rethought from the stomach.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationStepping Back and Looking Ahead: Twelve Years of Studying Religious Contact at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Bochum
EditorsMaren Freudenberg, Frederik Elwert, Tim Karis, Martin Radermacher, Jens Schlamelcher
Place of PublicationLeiden
PublisherBrill
Chapter9
Pages267-301
Number of pages35
ISBN (Electronic)978-90-04-54931-9
ISBN (Print)978-90-04-51627-4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Sept 2023

Publication series

NameDynamics in the History of Religions
PublisherBrill
Volume13
ISSN (Print)1878-8106

Keywords

  • materiality
  • food
  • fetish
  • Feuerbach
  • gastro-philosophy
  • feedings spirits

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