{"product_id":"spirits-and-letters-reading-writing-and-charisma-in-african-christianity-9781845454838","title":"Spirits and Letters: Reading, Writing and","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \tStudies of religion have a tendency to conceptualise ‘the Spirit’ and ‘the Letter’ as mutually exclusive and intrinsically antagonistic. However, the history of religions abounds in cases where charismatic leaders deliberately refer to and make use of writings. This book challenges prevailing scholarly notions of the relationship between ‘charisma’ and ‘institution’ by analysing reading and writing practices in contemporary Christianity. Taking up the continuing anthropological interest in Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity, and representing the first book-length treatment of literacy practices among African Christians, this volume explores how church leaders in Zambia refer to the Bible and other religious literature, and how they organise a church bureaucracy in the Pentecostal-charismatic mode. Thus, by examining social processes and conflicts that revolve around the conjunction of Pentecostal-charismatic and literacy practices in Africa, Spirits and Letters reconsiders influential conceptual dichotomies in the social sciences and the humanities and is therefore of interest not only to anthropologists but also to scholars working in the fields of African studies, religious studies, and the sociology of religion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \t“\u003cem\u003eKirsch is impressively well read in the history and anthropology of Christianity and the study of literacy, and uses a range of insightful comparative examples to draw out the significance of his research\u003c\/em\u003e…\u003cem\u003eAs well as providing an important and fascinating account of reading practices within and beyond African Christianity, Kirsch’s study also alerts us to how religious print moves across the globe via religious organizations and networks to create and reinforce religious identities\u003c\/em\u003e.”\u003cb\u003e  ·  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAfrica\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t“\u003cem\u003eThis book has opened the internal communication system of so-called Spirit-filled churches for academic scrutiny. We can now begin to ask how and why are the Holy Spirit and internal communication becoming the principal tools for control, domination, or democracy in them.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cb\u003e  ·  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePneuma\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t“\u003cem\u003eFor those interested in the social life of the bible and other written materials, this book is sure to surprise…The surprise value of Kirsch’s work lies in the broad sweep from fine-grained descriptions of individuals’ bibles to far-reaching theoretical critiques of the anthropology of literary practices and bureaucracy.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cb\u003e  ·  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSocial Anthropology\/Anthropologie sociale\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t “\u003cem\u003eFrom relative obscurity, the study of Christianity has grown into a major academic field, to which this book makes an important and timely contribution. It is the first book-length study of literacy practices among African Christians\u003c\/em\u003e.”\u003cb\u003e  ·  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJRAI\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003ci\u003e\"Developing new theoretical perspectives out of sensitive historical and ethnographic research on practices of reading and writing in the Spirit Apostolic Church, this well written and accessible study offers anthropology at its best. Cautioning against simplistic understandings of literacy and textuality that still underpin much work on Christianity, his work offers a substantial intervention into broader debates about religion, media and materiality.\" \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e  ·  Birgit Meyer\u003c\/b\u003e, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vrije Universiteit\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003ci\u003e\"the primary aim of the author lies...in challenging the presuppositions made in the study of African religion - and in this he has admirably succeeded\" \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e  ·  H-Net Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003ci\u003e“…Kirsch…provides an excellent introduction, contextualizing his material and his aim of explaining the relationship between ‘charisma’ and ‘institution’ in the Spirit Apostolic Church.” \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e  ·  Choice\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003ci\u003e\"The examination of literacy practices presented in this book enables – and hopefully will engender – much thought in a variety of ethnographic domains.\" \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e  ·  Ethos\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003ci\u003e“[The author] demonstrates in this book an extraordinary command of several scholarly literatures and takes up questions that have vexed the social sciences since at least the time of Max Weber. In particular, Kirsch wishes to understand how something as fundamental to the ‘religions of the Book’ as literacy could be so often overlooked in current anthropological discussions of Christianity in favor of electronic and other media.. Kirsch has produced an impressive monograph here, one that ought to be read by Africanist anthropologists, religious studies scholars and by others interested in understanding the meaningful qualities of literacy for all ‘peoples of the Book’.” \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e  ·  Journal of Religion in Africa\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \tList of Illustrations\u003cbr\u003e \tAcknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e \tNotes on Language\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCharisma – Institution\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCharisma\/Spirit\/Orality – Institution\/Letter\/Literacy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAfrican Literate Religion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t‘Spirit’ and ‘Letter’ in African Christianity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tExamining Literacy Practices\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe Fieldwork\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tOutline of the Book\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003ePART I: HISTORIES AND ETHNOGRAPHIES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 1. Colonial Literacies\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tMission, School and Printing Press\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSteps towards Secularization\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCounterforce in Writing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tWhat is a School?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tResistance and Non-religious Literacies\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tColonial Bureaucracy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tEvangelists as Administrators\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 2. Passages, Configurations, Traces\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAt the Edge of the Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tOn the Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tEarly Evangelisations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tChristianity in the 1990s\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tReligious Intersections\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 3. Schooled Literacy, Schooled Religion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003ePART II: LITERATE RELIGION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tEnrolment in School\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAfter the Ringing of the Bell\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tRecitations of Syllabi\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tExperiences with Mission Schools\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tContemporary Religious Education\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 4. Literate Cultures in a Material World\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe Bible as an Everyday Object\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tLiteracy in Times of Paper Shortage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tGetting Hold of Christian Publications\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tPublications as Property\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 5. Indices to the Scriptural\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBible Talks\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tProgrammatic Visibility\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tReferences to the Book\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 6. The Fringes of Christianity\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBlurrings and Criteria\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTurning Letters Upside Down\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 7. Thoughts about ‘Religions of the Book’\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBook People\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tScriptural Inerrancy and Authority\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCanonization and the Bridging of Realms\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003ePART III: WAYS OF READING\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 8. Texts, Readers, Spirit\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBibles, Versions, Origins\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tPamphlets and Eclecticism\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSelections and Combinations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tPrivate Readings, Implicit Influences\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBible Studies\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 9. Evanescence and the Necessity of Intermediation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe Impossibility of Storing the Holy Spirit\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tObjects, Bodies and Spiritual Evanescence\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 10. Setting Texts in Motion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tDeciphering and Preaching\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSediments of the Spirit\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 11. Missions in Writing\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tLiteracy Networking\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe Jehovah’s Witnesses: Questions and Answers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe New Apostolic Church: Mediation via Circulars\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSupplements as ‘Obligatory Passage Points’\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tEnablement through Denominational Publications\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 12. Enablements to Literacy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tRumination and Scholarship\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tScripture and Enablement\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tEnabling Supplements\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003ePART IV: BUREAUCRACY IN THE PENTECOSTAL-CHARISMATIC MODE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 13. Offices and the Dispersion of Charisma\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBureaucracy as Social Practice\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tOrganizational Formalization as a Founding Myth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tDispersing Charisma, Allocating Offices\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCharisma, Hierarchies, Variations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIgnorance and Mutual Recognition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 14. Positions of Writers, Positions in Writings\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCertifications of Authority\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tGod’s Secretaries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIdentifications and Registries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tFixing Polyvalent Rites of Passage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tPortrayals of the Momentary\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 15. Outlines for the Future, Documents of the Immediate\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAgendas as Revelations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tReports of the Unpredictable\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAgendas, Reports, and the Holy Spirit\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tRe-spiritualizing Bureaucracy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 16. Bureaucracy In-Between\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tFlows and Facades\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAfrican Christianity and the State\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tFormalizing Social Relations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tImagining the State\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tLegacies and Isomorphism\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tPresentations and Concealments\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBureaucracy as Pentecostal-charismatic Empowerment\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 17. Epilogue\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \tBibliography\u003cbr\u003e \tIndex\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Berghahn Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51042976989527,"sku":"9781845454838","price":89.1,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781845454838.jpg?v=1750956485","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/spirits-and-letters-reading-writing-and-charisma-in-african-christianity-9781845454838","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}