Giving Is Believing: Credit and Christmas in Colombia

The Durkheimian divide between “belief” and “rite” remains a contested boundary in the study of religion. In response, this article takes up the concept of “credere,” the root of both belief and credit, to challenge the distinction between believing and practice. “Credere” further opens a new window...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Bartel, Rebecca C. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Oxford University Press [2016]
In: Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Year: 2016, Volume: 84, Issue: 4, Pages: 1006-1028
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Colombia / Generosity / Faith / Credit
B Faith / Ritual
RelBib Classification:AG Religious life; material religion
CB Christian life; spirituality
CH Christianity and Society
KBR Latin America
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:The Durkheimian divide between “belief” and “rite” remains a contested boundary in the study of religion. In response, this article takes up the concept of “credere,” the root of both belief and credit, to challenge the distinction between believing and practice. “Credere” further opens a new window for inquiry in religious studies: the role of the gift in finance capitalism. Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork in Colombia, South America, this article challenges the disciplinary margins between political economy and religion. Relations between believing, practice, and finance capitalism are brought into new relief through a focus on gift-giving in a time of credit cards. In Colombia, the relationship between finance capitalism and Christianity reshapes the gift—from a gift based on social obligation to a gift based on credit.
ISSN:1477-4585
Contains:Enthalten in: American Academy of Religion, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfw035