William Arfman | Tilburg University (original) (raw)

Papers by William Arfman

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This dissertation begins with showcasing a single ritual All Souls’ Day project taking place in t... more This dissertation begins with showcasing a single ritual All Souls’ Day project taking place in the Dutch town of Oudewater. Straight away, however, it becomes clear that in order to understand this project, it needs to be seen in the light of larger issues. Not only is this ritual project part of a larger Dutch phenomenon, but this phenomenon, in turn, proves to be a salient case study for investigating ritual dynamics in our late modern times in general. The combined study of these two themes, i.e., the emergence of a ritual field of collective commemoration, and the things this emergence can teach us about contemporary ritual dynamics, provides the backbone of this dissertation. By studying ritual dynamics at its social level, both on a macroand on a micro-scale, at the level of the dynamics of history, as well as at the level of its structural dynamics, varied topics such as the emergence of this ritual field, the role of tradition in this emergence, the challenges faced by thos...

Item does not contain fulltextThis introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discusse... more Item does not contain fulltextThis introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is ideally suited to open up the field, as they come from various corners of the social sciences and humanities: ritual studies, sociolinguistics, anthropology, literary studies, victimology, and museum studies. It presents ritual practices as a lens to study the construction of victimhood. In the tradition of the Tilburg 'Ritual in Society' research group, we use an open and broad approach to ritual. The book describes the several 'loci' related to artistic practices come to the fore: the museum, theatre and literature. David Clarke details in his chapter the complicated development of the Berlin Wall Memorial Museum at Bernauer Straße in Berlin.It suggests that what Furedi (1998) proclaimed two decades ago is still very much true: the attention for victimhood is at its zenith. It has been so for a long time and rightfully so

NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, 2020

Jaarboek Voor Liturgie Onderzoek, 2013

Journal of Contemporary Religion, 2016

229 chaplaincy and American ideas of religiosity. This book is well worth the time of any scholar... more 229 chaplaincy and American ideas of religiosity. This book is well worth the time of any scholar or casual reader interested in the military chaplaincy and the evolution of American religion.

""Since 2005 Dutch artists Ida van der Lee’s Allerzielen Alom (or All Souls’ All around... more ""Since 2005 Dutch artists Ida van der Lee’s Allerzielen Alom (or All Souls’ All around) project, as well as its various offshoots, have flowered throughout the Netherlands. In doing so they have brought a diverse public of various ages and religious as well as non-religious backgrounds together at the end of October or the beginning of November at hospitably decorated cemeteries and crematoria. Here, after dusk, these visitors were given various chances to commemorate their dearly departed using everyday objects to perform small ritual acts. Afterwards, strong feelings of togetherness were expressed, both with the other visitors as well as the deceased. Judging by the standards of the secularisation hypothesis the success of this project would seem highly unlikely. The expressed feelings of being together with the dead in such public spaces, by congregations ranging into the thousands goes against its claims regarding the growing individualisation, privatisation and disenchantment of our Western world. What then, is behind the success of this phenomenon? This book is taking a grassroots approach to answering that and related questions: by combining concepts from the field of rituals studies with those from the field of material culture studies, it will focus on the roll of simple objects in the development as well as the success of Allerzielen Alom and its various offshoots. To achieve this, five different Allerzielen Alom or related celebrations were visited and their organisers interviewed. On the basis of that material an interesting image is formed of the fundamental importance of material culture in the development of a new emerging ritual tradition. buy printed book, e-book or read for free @ http://www.sidestone.com/library/analysing-allerzielen-alom-material-culture-in-an-emerging-rite""

Item does not contain fulltex

Item does not contain fulltex

The ancients and other extrahuman forces 3.3 The present situation 8 3.3.1 The ancients and the j... more The ancients and other extrahuman forces 3.3 The present situation 8 3.3.1 The ancients and the journey after death 3.3.2 All Souls 3.3.3 Mitleños about the Place of the Dead 3.3.4 Pilgrims about the Place of the Dead 3. 4 C o n c l u s i o n 5 Chapter 4: Continuity of the Calvario as a ritual location 4. 1 E a r l y S o u r c e s 0 4.1.1 The Calvario and its Predecessors 4.1.2 A Backdoor to Hell in the Ruins 4. 2 E a r l y E t h n o g r a p h e r s 5 4.2.1 The Calvario as a Place to Curse 4.2.2 The Churchyard and the Ruins 4.2.3 A Hidden Entrance in the Church 4.2.4 Other destinations on New Years' Eve 4.2.5 "Now we are Civilized" 4.3 Recent Ethnographers 4.3.1 Inviting the Souls at the Calvario 4.3.2 Pilgrims about the Calvario 4.3.3 Mitleños about the Calvario 4.3.4 The ruins and the churchyard 4.3.5 The church and the souls 4.3.6 The Cave with the Big Mouth 4. 4 C o n c l u s i o n 1 2 Chapter 5: Continuity of the offerings for the dead 5.1 Late Post classic and Early Colonial Sources 5.1.1 Burgoa on rituals 5.

Journal of Contemporary Religion, 2014

ABSTRACT This article demonstrates that tradition has a more profound effect on religion in liqui... more ABSTRACT This article demonstrates that tradition has a more profound effect on religion in liquid modernity than might be expected. The recent emergence in the Netherlands of a new ritual field aimed at collective commemoration of the dead is used as an example to investigate the dynamic relationship between religious tradition and creative ritualising. The comparison between Catholic, Protestant, and non‐ecclesial ritualising shows how Catholic ritual traditions associated with All Souls’ Day, among other traditions, serve as loose templates for ritual innovation in all three of these settings. Finally, on the basis of these findings, it is argued that ‘innovating from traditions’ presents a more adequate approach to future research into the roles traditions play in liquid modernity than Eric Hobsbawm’s ‘invention of tradition’.

Religion beyond its Private Role in Modern Society, 2013

Journal of Religion in Europe

Journal of Contemporary Religion

This article demonstrates that tradition has a more profound effect on religion in liquid moderni... more This article demonstrates that tradition has a more profound effect on religion in liquid modernity than might be expected. The recent emergence in the Netherlands of a new ritual field aimed at collective commemoration of the dead is used as an example to investigate the dynamic relationship between religious tradition and creative ritualising. The comparison between Catholic, Protestant, and non‐ecclesial ritualising shows how Catholic ritual traditions associated with All Souls’ Day, among other traditions, serve as loose templates for ritual innovation in all three of these settings. Finally, on the basis of these findings, it is argued that ‘innovating from traditions’ presents a more adequate approach to future research into the roles traditions play in liquid modernity than Eric Hobsbawm’s ‘invention of tradition’.

Yearbook for Ritual and Liturgical Studies

Books by William Arfman

Since 2005 Dutch artists Ida van der Lee’s Allerzielen Alom (or All Souls’ All Around) project ha... more Since 2005 Dutch artists Ida van der Lee’s Allerzielen Alom (or All Souls’ All Around) project has flowered throughout the Netherlands. In doing so it has brought a diverse public of various ages and religious as well as non-religious backgrounds together at hospitably decorated cemeteries and crematoria. William Arfman, archaeologist and scholar of religion, has studied this modern tradition.

Item does not contain fulltext266 p

This dissertation begins with showcasing a single ritual All Souls’ Day project taking place in t... more This dissertation begins with showcasing a single ritual All Souls’ Day project taking place in the Dutch town of Oudewater. Straight away, however, it becomes clear that in order to understand this project, it needs to be seen in the light of larger issues. Not only is this ritual project part of a larger Dutch phenomenon, but this phenomenon, in turn, proves to be a salient case study for investigating ritual dynamics in our late modern times in general. The combined study of these two themes, i.e., the emergence of a ritual field of collective commemoration, and the things this emergence can teach us about contemporary ritual dynamics, provides the backbone of this dissertation. By studying ritual dynamics at its social level, both on a macroand on a micro-scale, at the level of the dynamics of history, as well as at the level of its structural dynamics, varied topics such as the emergence of this ritual field, the role of tradition in this emergence, the challenges faced by thos...

Item does not contain fulltextThis introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discusse... more Item does not contain fulltextThis introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is ideally suited to open up the field, as they come from various corners of the social sciences and humanities: ritual studies, sociolinguistics, anthropology, literary studies, victimology, and museum studies. It presents ritual practices as a lens to study the construction of victimhood. In the tradition of the Tilburg 'Ritual in Society' research group, we use an open and broad approach to ritual. The book describes the several 'loci' related to artistic practices come to the fore: the museum, theatre and literature. David Clarke details in his chapter the complicated development of the Berlin Wall Memorial Museum at Bernauer Straße in Berlin.It suggests that what Furedi (1998) proclaimed two decades ago is still very much true: the attention for victimhood is at its zenith. It has been so for a long time and rightfully so

NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, 2020

Jaarboek Voor Liturgie Onderzoek, 2013

Journal of Contemporary Religion, 2016

229 chaplaincy and American ideas of religiosity. This book is well worth the time of any scholar... more 229 chaplaincy and American ideas of religiosity. This book is well worth the time of any scholar or casual reader interested in the military chaplaincy and the evolution of American religion.

""Since 2005 Dutch artists Ida van der Lee’s Allerzielen Alom (or All Souls’ All around... more ""Since 2005 Dutch artists Ida van der Lee’s Allerzielen Alom (or All Souls’ All around) project, as well as its various offshoots, have flowered throughout the Netherlands. In doing so they have brought a diverse public of various ages and religious as well as non-religious backgrounds together at the end of October or the beginning of November at hospitably decorated cemeteries and crematoria. Here, after dusk, these visitors were given various chances to commemorate their dearly departed using everyday objects to perform small ritual acts. Afterwards, strong feelings of togetherness were expressed, both with the other visitors as well as the deceased. Judging by the standards of the secularisation hypothesis the success of this project would seem highly unlikely. The expressed feelings of being together with the dead in such public spaces, by congregations ranging into the thousands goes against its claims regarding the growing individualisation, privatisation and disenchantment of our Western world. What then, is behind the success of this phenomenon? This book is taking a grassroots approach to answering that and related questions: by combining concepts from the field of rituals studies with those from the field of material culture studies, it will focus on the roll of simple objects in the development as well as the success of Allerzielen Alom and its various offshoots. To achieve this, five different Allerzielen Alom or related celebrations were visited and their organisers interviewed. On the basis of that material an interesting image is formed of the fundamental importance of material culture in the development of a new emerging ritual tradition. buy printed book, e-book or read for free @ http://www.sidestone.com/library/analysing-allerzielen-alom-material-culture-in-an-emerging-rite""

Item does not contain fulltex

Item does not contain fulltex

The ancients and other extrahuman forces 3.3 The present situation 8 3.3.1 The ancients and the j... more The ancients and other extrahuman forces 3.3 The present situation 8 3.3.1 The ancients and the journey after death 3.3.2 All Souls 3.3.3 Mitleños about the Place of the Dead 3.3.4 Pilgrims about the Place of the Dead 3. 4 C o n c l u s i o n 5 Chapter 4: Continuity of the Calvario as a ritual location 4. 1 E a r l y S o u r c e s 0 4.1.1 The Calvario and its Predecessors 4.1.2 A Backdoor to Hell in the Ruins 4. 2 E a r l y E t h n o g r a p h e r s 5 4.2.1 The Calvario as a Place to Curse 4.2.2 The Churchyard and the Ruins 4.2.3 A Hidden Entrance in the Church 4.2.4 Other destinations on New Years' Eve 4.2.5 "Now we are Civilized" 4.3 Recent Ethnographers 4.3.1 Inviting the Souls at the Calvario 4.3.2 Pilgrims about the Calvario 4.3.3 Mitleños about the Calvario 4.3.4 The ruins and the churchyard 4.3.5 The church and the souls 4.3.6 The Cave with the Big Mouth 4. 4 C o n c l u s i o n 1 2 Chapter 5: Continuity of the offerings for the dead 5.1 Late Post classic and Early Colonial Sources 5.1.1 Burgoa on rituals 5.

Journal of Contemporary Religion, 2014

ABSTRACT This article demonstrates that tradition has a more profound effect on religion in liqui... more ABSTRACT This article demonstrates that tradition has a more profound effect on religion in liquid modernity than might be expected. The recent emergence in the Netherlands of a new ritual field aimed at collective commemoration of the dead is used as an example to investigate the dynamic relationship between religious tradition and creative ritualising. The comparison between Catholic, Protestant, and non‐ecclesial ritualising shows how Catholic ritual traditions associated with All Souls’ Day, among other traditions, serve as loose templates for ritual innovation in all three of these settings. Finally, on the basis of these findings, it is argued that ‘innovating from traditions’ presents a more adequate approach to future research into the roles traditions play in liquid modernity than Eric Hobsbawm’s ‘invention of tradition’.

Religion beyond its Private Role in Modern Society, 2013

Journal of Religion in Europe

Journal of Contemporary Religion

This article demonstrates that tradition has a more profound effect on religion in liquid moderni... more This article demonstrates that tradition has a more profound effect on religion in liquid modernity than might be expected. The recent emergence in the Netherlands of a new ritual field aimed at collective commemoration of the dead is used as an example to investigate the dynamic relationship between religious tradition and creative ritualising. The comparison between Catholic, Protestant, and non‐ecclesial ritualising shows how Catholic ritual traditions associated with All Souls’ Day, among other traditions, serve as loose templates for ritual innovation in all three of these settings. Finally, on the basis of these findings, it is argued that ‘innovating from traditions’ presents a more adequate approach to future research into the roles traditions play in liquid modernity than Eric Hobsbawm’s ‘invention of tradition’.

Yearbook for Ritual and Liturgical Studies

Since 2005 Dutch artists Ida van der Lee’s Allerzielen Alom (or All Souls’ All Around) project ha... more Since 2005 Dutch artists Ida van der Lee’s Allerzielen Alom (or All Souls’ All Around) project has flowered throughout the Netherlands. In doing so it has brought a diverse public of various ages and religious as well as non-religious backgrounds together at hospitably decorated cemeteries and crematoria. William Arfman, archaeologist and scholar of religion, has studied this modern tradition.

In the centre of the Mexican town of Mitla stands a run-down chapel on an overgrown pre-colonial ... more In the centre of the Mexican town of Mitla stands a run-down chapel on an overgrown pre-colonial pyramid. This book explores the origins of the offerings of elaborate arrangements of flowers, fruits, black candles, cacao beans and bundles of copal incense on this location. To achieve this, current theories are combined with a study of archaeological, historical, iconographical and anthropological sources as well as ethnographic fieldwork.

The Western world today is often associated with societal forces such as individualization, plura... more The Western world today is often associated with societal forces such as individualization, pluralization, and innovation. According to contemporary sociologists, these changes signify the advent of a new stage of modernity, which is dubbed ‘late,’ ‘reflexive,’ or ‘liquid’ modernity. At the same time, however, Western societies are also experiencing a surge in popularity of ritual practices. With ritual usually being associated with community and tradition rather than individualization, pluralization, or innovation, the question arises of how (new) ritual practices respond to this apparent paradox. It is this question of ritual dynamics that is at the heart of this dissertation.

In order to tackle this question of ritual dynamics, this study explores a set of case studies pertaining to a renewed interest in the Netherlands in All Souls’ Day practices and related rites of collective commemoration. Having acquired data on the organizational dimension of these ritual practices through both online research and ethnographic fieldwork, these data are then used to enter into dialogue with a selection of theoretical works. These works stem from the social sciences, in particular sociology, as well as the interdisciplinary field of ritual studies.

By being founded in original data, while involving larger theoretical issues, this study is able to critically reflect on ritual dynamics on three distinct levels. The first level pertains to the dynamics of history, looking at the role of traditions; the second concerns social dynamics and pertains to ritual fields as well as the challenges faced by contemporary ritualists; the third, structural dynamic level, deals with ritual design. It is by bringing these various levels together, finally, that the role of ritual dynamics in late modernity is put into perspective. Interestingly, this perspective has potential implications for understanding contemporary religion in general as well.