This chapter uses the concepts of trauma and nostalgia to analyze the portrayal of PTSD in homeco... more This chapter uses the concepts of trauma and nostalgia to analyze the portrayal of PTSD in homecoming films. Nostalgia, integral to the study of battle’s psychological effects, has evolved in cultural studies to scrutinize power dynamics in depictions of “home.” This chapter scrutinizes how films depict the relationship between trauma and home. Drawing from Svetlana Boym’s distinction between restorative and reflective nostalgia, the former emphasizes national continuity, while the latter acknowledges gaps and inconsistencies in the concept of “home.” The chapter contends that reflective nostalgia provides a more realistic representation of people with PTSD and offers a more promising portrayal of their path toward “redemption,” wherein veterans navigate their enduring wounds.
This article analyzes the photo-exhibition Ecce Homo (1998) by Swedish artist Elisabeth Ohlson Wa... more This article analyzes the photo-exhibition Ecce Homo (1998) by Swedish artist Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin. In Ecce Homo, which depicts twelve moments from the life of Jesus Christ, traditional church art is mixed with the themes and symbols of contemporary LGBT-culture. In the article it is investigated, through a queer focus, whether Ecce Homo has the potential to destabilize the rather strict oppositional pairing of religion and homosexuality in contemporary debates in post-secular societies like Sweden. Based on a discussion of three works (The Annunciation, Palm Sunday and Calvary) it is argued that Ecce Homo connects traditional Christian motives such as the love for one’s neighbor, (self)sacrifice and charity to queer concepts such as the instability of gender and sexuality and the destabilizing potential of ‘darkness’ as an aesthetic theme. As queer and Christian concepts inform each other they are given meaning in relation to each other, thus indeed (for the most part) suggestin...
This thesis deals with the strategies by which lesbian women in the (Calvinist Protestant) Reform... more This thesis deals with the strategies by which lesbian women in the (Calvinist Protestant) Reformed Churches deal with the seemingly contradictory identity of being both Christian and homosexual. From a feminist cultural studies perspective, this thesis is an ethnographic study of the lives and contexts of these women. It deals, first, with the theological discourses that have introduced within the context of Reformed theology a general norm by which homosexual identity is accepted, but homosexual behaviour is condemned. Secondly, through a series of interviews this thesis brings to the fore the often creative ways by which lesbian women negotiate their position within a religious environment that often restricts and disciplines their (sexual) freedom, and that is often characterised by a strong focus on male (homo)sexuality and experience. Within this thesis theoretical approaches and methods are used from gender studies, queer studies and - theology and gay and lesbian studies and - theology
Using Althaus-Reid’s Indecent Theology as a methodology, this article contributes to reflections ... more Using Althaus-Reid’s Indecent Theology as a methodology, this article contributes to reflections on the contextuality and physical dimension of Dutch theology: its relation to the Protestant white (mostly male) bodies of its practitioners and its support of and contributions to colonial power and colonial racializing discourse. We do this in a context of a ‘return to decency’ in political discourse in which ‘our’ Calvinist roots are evoked to construct a ‘shared’ past. Using two case studies, we analyse how the in/decent is constructed in the Netherlands. As secularism is more ‘vanilla’ and Calvinism more indecent than is usually assumed, engagement with indecent texts and untidy roots of Calvinism is needed to re-member both the violent character of Calvinist hermeneutics, as well as its potential for indecent readings.
This chapter uses the concepts of trauma and nostalgia to analyze the portrayal of PTSD in homeco... more This chapter uses the concepts of trauma and nostalgia to analyze the portrayal of PTSD in homecoming films. Nostalgia, integral to the study of battle’s psychological effects, has evolved in cultural studies to scrutinize power dynamics in depictions of “home.” This chapter scrutinizes how films depict the relationship between trauma and home. Drawing from Svetlana Boym’s distinction between restorative and reflective nostalgia, the former emphasizes national continuity, while the latter acknowledges gaps and inconsistencies in the concept of “home.” The chapter contends that reflective nostalgia provides a more realistic representation of people with PTSD and offers a more promising portrayal of their path toward “redemption,” wherein veterans navigate their enduring wounds.
This article analyzes the photo-exhibition Ecce Homo (1998) by Swedish artist Elisabeth Ohlson Wa... more This article analyzes the photo-exhibition Ecce Homo (1998) by Swedish artist Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin. In Ecce Homo, which depicts twelve moments from the life of Jesus Christ, traditional church art is mixed with the themes and symbols of contemporary LGBT-culture. In the article it is investigated, through a queer focus, whether Ecce Homo has the potential to destabilize the rather strict oppositional pairing of religion and homosexuality in contemporary debates in post-secular societies like Sweden. Based on a discussion of three works (The Annunciation, Palm Sunday and Calvary) it is argued that Ecce Homo connects traditional Christian motives such as the love for one’s neighbor, (self)sacrifice and charity to queer concepts such as the instability of gender and sexuality and the destabilizing potential of ‘darkness’ as an aesthetic theme. As queer and Christian concepts inform each other they are given meaning in relation to each other, thus indeed (for the most part) suggestin...
This thesis deals with the strategies by which lesbian women in the (Calvinist Protestant) Reform... more This thesis deals with the strategies by which lesbian women in the (Calvinist Protestant) Reformed Churches deal with the seemingly contradictory identity of being both Christian and homosexual. From a feminist cultural studies perspective, this thesis is an ethnographic study of the lives and contexts of these women. It deals, first, with the theological discourses that have introduced within the context of Reformed theology a general norm by which homosexual identity is accepted, but homosexual behaviour is condemned. Secondly, through a series of interviews this thesis brings to the fore the often creative ways by which lesbian women negotiate their position within a religious environment that often restricts and disciplines their (sexual) freedom, and that is often characterised by a strong focus on male (homo)sexuality and experience. Within this thesis theoretical approaches and methods are used from gender studies, queer studies and - theology and gay and lesbian studies and - theology
Using Althaus-Reid’s Indecent Theology as a methodology, this article contributes to reflections ... more Using Althaus-Reid’s Indecent Theology as a methodology, this article contributes to reflections on the contextuality and physical dimension of Dutch theology: its relation to the Protestant white (mostly male) bodies of its practitioners and its support of and contributions to colonial power and colonial racializing discourse. We do this in a context of a ‘return to decency’ in political discourse in which ‘our’ Calvinist roots are evoked to construct a ‘shared’ past. Using two case studies, we analyse how the in/decent is constructed in the Netherlands. As secularism is more ‘vanilla’ and Calvinism more indecent than is usually assumed, engagement with indecent texts and untidy roots of Calvinism is needed to re-member both the violent character of Calvinist hermeneutics, as well as its potential for indecent readings.
In this article, we explore the process of transitions from a military life to a civilian life. M... more In this article, we explore the process of transitions from a military life to a civilian life. Making use of the concepts offered by Dialogical Self Theory, we explore how individuals negotiate the acquisition of new, civilian identities by integrating different, sometimes conflicting, cultural I-positions. Moreover, in this article, we explore how this narrative process is reflected through embodied processes of becoming civilian. We do so by presenting an in-depth analysis of two case studies: that of former Lieutenant Peter, who fully transitions to civilian life, and of Sergeant Emma, who opts for a hybrid outcome, combining a civilian job with working as an instructor in the military. We will argue that the narrative and embodied process of transition are intertwined in self-identity work, and that attention to the specifics of this entanglement can be useful for professionals who counsel military personnel who transition to civilian life.
In M.D. Chapman and D. Janes (eds.) (2018), New Approaches in History and Theology to Same-Sex Lo... more In M.D. Chapman and D. Janes (eds.) (2018), New Approaches in History and Theology to Same-Sex Love and Desire. Palgrave MacMillan, pp. 227-248.
Published in S. Sremac and R.R. Ganzevoort (Eds.) Religious and Sexual Nationalisms in Central an... more Published in S. Sremac and R.R. Ganzevoort (Eds.) Religious and Sexual Nationalisms in Central and Eastern Europe: Gods, Gays, and Governments, Leiden: Brill.
This book sheds an interdisciplinary light on ‘transforming bodies’: bodies that have been subjec... more This book sheds an interdisciplinary light on ‘transforming bodies’: bodies that have been subjected to, contributed to, or have resisted social transformations within religious or secular contexts in contemporary Europe. It explores the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and religion that underpin embodied transformations. Using post-secularist, postcolonial and gender/queer perspectives, it aims to gain a better understanding of the orchestrations and effects of larger social transitions related to religion.
This volume is the outcome of the intensive collaboration of the authors, who for years have been meeting regularly in Utrecht, the Netherlands, to discuss themes related to religion and ‘the challenge of difference’, with an added afterword by Prof. Pamela Klassen from the University of Toronto. The book is divided in three subsections that focus on particular types of embodiment: body politics in governmental and NGO organisations; the role of the body in literary and/or autobiographical narratives; and ethnographic case studies of bodies in daily life.
Doing so, it provides an innovative exploration of contemporary religion and the body. It will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars of Religious Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Post-Colonial Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Theology, and Philosophy.
Religious and Sexual Nationalisms in Central and Eastern Europe, 2015
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sweden may be viewed as each other's opposites when the rights and rep... more Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sweden may be viewed as each other's opposites when the rights and representations of sexual minorities are concerned. At first glance, religion seems to be a factor of importance mainly in the former, where the views of Eastern Orthodox Serbs, Roman Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosniak appear very much in agreement in their public and political rejection of homosexuality. In post state-church Sweden, the dominant political frame is one of secular liberal views and a broad acceptance of lgbt-rights. What both countries do have in common, however, is the fact that the combination of religion and homosexuality in public debate seems to be a recipe for "moral panic" (Weeks 1991): A conflict over identity and moral behavior arises as soon as the two are mentioned in relation to each other. Moreover, the public framing of religion and sexuality often conflates in various ways with nationalism: not only the right sexuality is at stake, but also a Bosnian or Swedish mode of sexual acceptance. In this chapter we see nationalism as a process of public identity-formation, and following Peterson (2010: 35), we define nationalism as "the territorially based subset of political identity." Peterson further distinguishes two main forms of nationalism: state-led, where citizens assimilate with cultural forms set by the state, and state-seeking, where the goal is to obtain a recognized state through group mobilization. Here we discuss both an example of state-led nationalism (Sweden) and state-seeking nationalism (Bosnia and Herzegovina), which is a recognized state but also has a strong commitment to confirming its own legitimacy. Discussing religious and sexual nationalism, we argue, is not merely a matter of taking nationalism and then "add religion and sexuality and stir," as though there were a "pure" form of nationalism which is then blended with religious beliefs and practices and/or ideologies of sexuality. Many nations have a long history of merging nationalist discourse with religion and even nations which built on secular ideologies, such as communism, have done so in part by disidentifying with religion. God is therefore not so much "once again" present in the public sphere (Friedland 2002: 381), but rather in a different shape. Religious
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Book Reviews by Mariecke van den Berg
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This volume is the outcome of the intensive collaboration of the authors, who for years have been meeting regularly in Utrecht, the Netherlands, to discuss themes related to religion and ‘the challenge of difference’, with an added afterword by Prof. Pamela Klassen from the University of Toronto. The book is divided in three subsections that focus on particular types of embodiment: body politics in governmental and NGO organisations; the role of the body in literary and/or autobiographical narratives; and ethnographic case studies of bodies in daily life.
Doing so, it provides an innovative exploration of contemporary religion and the body. It will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars of Religious Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Post-Colonial Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Theology, and Philosophy.