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Sharing the church : gendered seating in congregations of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Sweden

Westergren, Andreas LU orcid and Cetrez, Önver LU (2026) In Journal of Contemporary Religion 41(1). p.37-53
Abstract

Despite being such an important factor for individual identity, Orthodox churches have not been sufficiently studied. In addition, the study of gender in these churches often seems formed by the impression that they do not change. This article therefore explores a seemingly static feature, the gendered seating in three Syriac Orthodox parishes in Sweden, from the point of view of space and agency: who and what is creating the present order of seating? On the basis of personal interviews and field observations, these parish churches are considered as material, imagined, and lived spaces. We observed a lot of fluidity: the church is a space in which a range of people take an active interest—women and men, the elderly and young, lay people... (More)

Despite being such an important factor for individual identity, Orthodox churches have not been sufficiently studied. In addition, the study of gender in these churches often seems formed by the impression that they do not change. This article therefore explores a seemingly static feature, the gendered seating in three Syriac Orthodox parishes in Sweden, from the point of view of space and agency: who and what is creating the present order of seating? On the basis of personal interviews and field observations, these parish churches are considered as material, imagined, and lived spaces. We observed a lot of fluidity: the church is a space in which a range of people take an active interest—women and men, the elderly and young, lay people along with priests—who are all trying to distinguish tradition from customs which are no longer valid. If earlier studies tended to view this Church as a stable, immovable factor while people change, our view from inside specific church buildings supports the impression of the ‘church’ as a changing social space, also with regard to gender. The church space is a hybrid one, situated between old and new customs.

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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Church, gender separation, space, Sweden, Syriac Orthodox Church
in
Journal of Contemporary Religion
volume
41
issue
1
pages
37 - 53
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • scopus:105035187867
ISSN
1353-7903
DOI
10.1080/13537903.2026.2645464
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
1dd0c052-e14a-4a61-af01-83e5aaef5c91
date added to LUP
2026-05-19 11:55:40
date last changed
2026-06-10 09:11:34
@article{1dd0c052-e14a-4a61-af01-83e5aaef5c91,
  abstract     = {{<p>Despite being such an important factor for individual identity, Orthodox churches have not been sufficiently studied. In addition, the study of gender in these churches often seems formed by the impression that they do not change. This article therefore explores a seemingly static feature, the gendered seating in three Syriac Orthodox parishes in Sweden, from the point of view of space and agency: who and what is creating the present order of seating? On the basis of personal interviews and field observations, these parish churches are considered as material, imagined, and lived spaces. We observed a lot of fluidity: the church is a space in which a range of people take an active interest—women and men, the elderly and young, lay people along with priests—who are all trying to distinguish tradition from customs which are no longer valid. If earlier studies tended to view this Church as a stable, immovable factor while people change, our view from inside specific church buildings supports the impression of the ‘church’ as a changing social space, also with regard to gender. The church space is a hybrid one, situated between old and new customs.</p>}},
  author       = {{Westergren, Andreas and Cetrez, Önver}},
  issn         = {{1353-7903}},
  keywords     = {{Church; gender separation; space; Sweden; Syriac Orthodox Church}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{37--53}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{Journal of Contemporary Religion}},
  title        = {{Sharing the church : gendered seating in congregations of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2026.2645464}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/13537903.2026.2645464}},
  volume       = {{41}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}