God’s Wrath in the Era of the Digidemic: Religious Interpretations of Covid-19 in Ethiopia

Author:

Østebø Terje1,Tronvoll Kjetil2,Østebø Marit Tolo3ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Terje Østebø, Department of Religion & Center for African Studies, University of Florida, PO Box 117410, Gainesville FL, 32611, USA

2. Peace and Conflict Studies, Oslo New University College, Lovisenberggt. 13, 0456 Oslo

3. Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, PO Box 117305, Gainesville FL, 32611, USA

Abstract

Abstract During the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, many Ethiopians viewed the pandemic as an expression of God’s punishment for sin. Although such interpretations reflect historical continuity, an analysis of these sentiments and of how the pandemic unfolded in Ethiopia reveal an interesting conundrum. Whereas the Covid-19 pandemic clearly has had devastating impacts all over the world, the very experiences that historically generated interpretations of divine punishment and judgement—violent human suffering and mass deaths—have been close to absent in Ethiopia. To understand why many Ethiopians interpreted Covid-19 as an expression of God’s wrath, we develop the concept of the digidemic, allowing us to recognize how the circulation of images, norms, ideas, and goods, via global and digital networks—in addition to fueling fear—created connectedness and a felt proximity, wherein far-away hot-spots and phenomena were made real and near as threats to people’s livelihood and religious worldviews.

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Subject

Religious studies

Reference49 articles.

1. “Islamic Attitudes to Disasters in the Middle Ages: A Comparison of Earthquakes and Plagues.”;Akasoy;The Medieval History Journal,2007

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3