Pandemic Leftovers: Glimpses of Religion in the New Normal

Roundtable Convenor(s)

• EH

  Emily Hertzman

  Asia Research Institute - National University of Singapore, Canada
• CL

  Carola Lorea

  Tuebingen University, Germany

Roundtable Chair(s)

• EH

  Emily Hertzman

  Asia Research Institute - National University of Singapore, Canada

Roundtable Participant(s)

• EH

  Emily Hertzman

  Asia Research Institute - National University of Singapore, Canada
• CL

  Carola Lorea

  Tuebingen University, Germany
• 

  Erica Larson

  Asia Research Institute - National University of Singapore, Singapore
• CW

  Catherine West

  Deakin University, Australia
• AF

  Amelia Fauzia

  Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Indonesia

Roundtable Abstract:

As COVID-19 related pandemic restrictions have been lifted and religious practices are recalibrating to a “new normal,” we invite roundtable participants to discuss the glimpses of post-pandemic religious practices across various religious traditions, communities, and regions. Have religious practices simply reverted to their pre-pandemic forms, or have there been changes that have had longer-lasting effects? What is really “new” about the new normal?

During the pandemic, restrictions on physical gatherings led to various shifts in religious practices, including increased engagement with digital modalities and adaptations of ritual practices. While scholars have rightly pointed out that religion going online is not new, the conditions of the pandemic accelerated that process and also allowed us to see negotiations taking place among religious practitioners about ritual efficacy, the meaning of charity, and the role of community. These negotiations may have entailed coming together in a moment of crisis, just as they may have also entailed divisions and disagreements over how to address these challenges. During this current period of recalibration to a new normal, we seek to analyze post-pandemic religious changes to understand how various religious practitioners and communities have dealt with changing circumstances.

In this roundtable discussion, we will present case studies which examine the ‘leftovers’ of the pandemic in the sense of changes to religious practices that have outlived the pandemic moment of crisis, including in terms of digital religion, material religion, everyday lived religion, and ritual performance. With panelists from different disciplinary backgrounds and coming from different parts of the world we will present cases from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and the Tamil diaspora, which span a range of religions. The conversation will explore the ways that these leftovers may be leading to more substantial changes in community organization, the position of minority religions and broader theological debates. 

Roundtable presentations include:

Diaspora religion, minority religion, and post-pandemic collective Tamil rituals in Singapore and Paris

Digital connections in the Covid-19 era and beyond among Indonesian Christian university students in Singapore

A Sensuous Pandemic and a Dalit Religion Online

Spirit-Medium Consultations over WhatsApp Video call in Post-Pandemic Singkawang, West Kalimantan.

The evolving notion of Buddhist social service in Sri Lanka: post-pandemic observations 

The new normal and convenience jurisprudence: a case of cash waqf in Indonesia

Religion and Space: An Understanding in the Era of COVID-19 in Kerala