Welcome to Nimbly Navigating Nepal. My name is Jill Hurley. I am a graduate student at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA in the Theological and Cultural Anthropology program. In the summer of 2017, I will be traveling to Kathmandu, Nepal and the surrounding area to do research for my Masters Thesis.
I submitted my grant proposal last week to the Templeton Foundation for the Ethnography Through the Eyes of Faith grant. I find out on April 15th, (approximately three weeks) if I received full funding.
The purpose of this study is to write a Christian
faith-based ethnography that gives voice to Charismatic Christians, who are
often mischaracterized within anthropology. This type of research is unique
because most anthropologists are not Christians, therefore their attempt to
describe encounters with the “supernatural” are from a non-spiritual
perspective. “Anthropology is a secular discipline, methodologically excluding
evidence for the “supernatural” both in humans (the human spirit) and in the
universe (God).”As
a believer who grew up in the Charismatic tradition, I have an insider’s spiritual
perspective and will be able to describe these encounters as such. It is my
goal to highlight the belief in the “supernatural” and hope for revival, as a
foundation for which anthropologists can understand the exponential growth of
Pentecostalism globally. Within global Pentecostalism there are three important
topics: rupture, intercessory prayer and revival. By exploring the conceptual
and practical notions of rupture, and the correlations between rupture and the
manifestations of the Holy Spirit or lack thereof, we can begin to see the
framework for what I call the dance between the human spirit and the Holy
Spirit. Next we analyze the nature of intercessory prayer as it relates to
healing, prayers for prosperity, protection and spiritual warfare. Finally, we
look at the definitions of the word fetish and explore whether revival and the
manifestations of the Holy Spirit can be considered a ‘semiotic ideological
fetish,’ a fetish that is embodied within ideologies imbued with meaning from
symbolism. My research objectives are to define the core values and belief
systems that are shared by this group of people, to highlight the language and
shared metaphors, and to describe encounters with the “supernatural”. I have
designed my research around informal conversations, participant observation,
and group analysis.
I am inviting you to join me on this journey. I'll share photos and videos and tell stories about my experience in Nepal. I'll check back in once it gets closer to the time of departure.
Thanks for joining me on my journey.
