Sacred Networks

Located at the Horn of Africa, mainly in Ethiopia, the Oromo is one of the continent s largest ethnic groups. Despite their religious and cultural differences, many Oromo gather and socialise in settings such as pilgrim sites, nationalist organisations and the diaspora. This invites us to study inter-religious relations on a personal, everyday level. Sacred Networks: Religion and social life among Oromo in Norway is the first English-written monograph that examines religious tolerance in this group. Through the words and practices of Oromo in diaspora, this publication introduces perspectives on how deities can be part of social networks. With a qualitative fieldwork material, deities as main focus, and concepts such cultural capital and interacting rituals, Sacred Networks draw on ideas from the history of religion, sociology, and anthropology. This publication offers insights to small but growing Oromo studies, as well as studies on immigrants in Europe.

Autorentext

Brita Marie Servan, MA: Studied Sociology and History of Religion at the University of Bergen.