Copts in Context: Negotiating Identity, Tradition, and Modernity

by Nelly van Doorn-Harder (Editor)

Overview

A comprehensive examination of this deeply traditional Christian religion as it confronts modernity

Though the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt is among the oldest Christian communities in the world, it remained relatively unknown outside of Egypt for most of its existence. In the wake of the Arab Spring, however, this community was caught up in regional violence, and its predicament became a cause for concern around the world. Copts in Context examines the situation of the Copts as a minority faith in a volatile region and as a community confronting modernity while steeped in tradition.

Nelly van Doorn-Harder opens Coptic identity and tradition to a broad range of perspectives: historical, political, sociological, anthropological, and ethnomusicological. Starting with contemporary issues such as recent conflicts in Egypt, the volume works back to topics—among them the Coptic language, the ideals and tradition of monasticism, and church historiography—that while rooted in the ancient past, nevertheless remain vital in Coptic memory and understanding of culture and tradition. Contributors examine developments in the Coptic diaspora, in religious education and the role of children, and in Coptic media, as well as considering the varied nature of Coptic participation in Egyptian society and politics over millennia.

With many Copts leaving the homeland, preservation of Coptic history, memory, and culture has become a vital concern to the Coptic Church. These essays by both Coptic and non-Coptic scholars offer insights into present-day issues confronting the community and their connections to relevant themes from the past, demonstrating reexamination of that past helps strengthen modern-day Coptic life and culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611177855
Publisher:	University of South Carolina Press
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Series:	Studies in Comparative Religion
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	298
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Nelly van Doorn-Harder holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from the Vrije University Amsterdam and is a professor of religion at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. She started studying Coptic Orthodox Christians during the 1980s while working in Egypt as the director of a refugee project. Van Doorn-Harder is the author of Contemporary Coptic Nuns, published by the University of South Carolina Press, and co-author of The Emergence of the Modern Coptic Papacy with Magdi Guirguis. Via the website Desert Lights Collective, she continues to post blogs and articles on the Christians of Egypt.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vii

Series Editor's Preface ix

Preface xi

Note on Transliteration xiii

Introduction: Creating and Maintaining Tradition in Modernity 1

Part 1 Identity in Transition

The Copts in the January Revolution of 2011 Sebastian Elsässer 21

The Undesirables of Egypt: A Story of Persecution and Defiance Mariz Tadros 34

Examining the Role of Media in Coptic Studies Angie Heo 52

Father Samaan and the Charismatic Trend within the Coptic Church Gaétan du Roy 66

Transmitting Coptic Musical Heritage Séverine Gabry-Thienpont 80

Part 2 Challenges of the Diaspora

Singing Strategic Multiculturalism: The Discursive Politics of Song in Coptic-Canadian Protests Carolyn M. Ramzy 93

Coptic Migrant Churches: Transnationalism and the Negotiation of Different Roles Ghada Botros 107

Strategies of Adaptation for Survival: The Introduction of Converts to the Coptic Orthodox Community in the Greater Toronto Area Rachel Loewen 124

Belonging to the Church Community: From Childhood Years Onward Nora Stene 134

Part 3 Tradition

The Revival of the Coptic Language and the Formation of Coptic Ethnoreligious Identity in Modern Egypt Hiroko Miyokawa 151

Reading the Church's Story: The "Amr-Benjamin Paradigm" and Its Echoes in The History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria Mark Swanson 157

The Evolution of Lent in Alexandria and the Alleged Reforms of Patriarch Demetrius Maged S. A. Mikhail 169

The Perfect Monk: Ideals of Masculinity in the Monastery of Shenoute Caroline T. Schroeder 181

The Paradox of Monasticism: The Transformation of Ascetic Ideals from the Fourth to the Seventh Century Karel C. Innemée 194

Reconsidering the Emerging Monastic Desertscape Darlene L. Brooks Hedstrom 205

Notes 219

Selected Bibliography 267

Contributors 275

Index 279

What People are Saying About This

Heleen Murre-van den Berg

Essential reading not only for those in Coptic studies but much wider, because of its three-way approach in bringing the analysis of the highly contentious contemporary situation in Egypt to resonate with diaspora studies on the one hand and the ongoing engagement with the rich Coptic heritage on the other.

Editorial Reviews

For Coptic studies scholars, this book provides an honest and profound understanding of the Coptic population and situation. It is also vastly relevant to the entire Egyptian population and has the potential to start a fruitful national debate concerning Copts in their homeland.

Reading Religion

In short, Copts in Context delivers a rich account about the identity construction and tradition production of the Copts both in Egypt and in the diaspora.

Kult Online: Review Journal for the Study of Culture

"In short, Copts in Context delivers a rich account about the identity construction and tradition production of the Copts both in Egypt and in the diaspora."--Kult Online: Review Journal for the Study of Culture


"For Coptic studies scholars, this book provides an honest and profound understanding of the Coptic population and situation. It is also vastly relevant to the entire Egyptian population and has the potential to start a fruitful national debate concerning Copts in their homeland."--Reading Religion


"Essential reading not only for those in Coptic studies but much wider, because of its three-way approach in bringing the analysis of the highly contentious contemporary situation in Egypt to resonate with diaspora studies on the one hand and the ongoing engagement with the rich Coptic heritage on the other."--Heleen Murre-van den Berg, professor of Eastern Christian Studies, Radboud University, the Netherlands

From the Publisher