Language,ethnicity and religion: a complex and persistent linkage |
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Authors: | WILLIAM SAFRAN |
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Institution: | University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA |
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Abstract: | ABSTRACT. Among the markers of ethnonational identity, language and religion have figured with equal prominence. In many cases, religion has been the bedrock of nation‐building; and even today, it is difficult to separate a number of national identities from their religious matrices. Religious identity is based on, and perpetuated in, narratives expressed in a specific language. Language and religion are related; in our secular age, however, that relationship is no longer consistent. The two may feed upon one another; language may substitute for religion; or religion may trump language. This article explores the varying relationships between language and religion. |
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Keywords: | clergy diaspora liturgy nation‐building secularism vernacular |
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