The Roman Catholic Church's Institutionalized Biases: Syncretic Processes in Tanzania

Authors

Julian M. Murchison, University of Michigan

Abstract

My ethnographic fieldwork in Tanzania suggests that many Tanzanian Roman Catholics would prefer for the Church to adopt more syncretic practices drawing on autochthonous customs, symbols, and ideas. Thoughts and suggestions from Tanzanians on this topic incorporate a wide variety of possibilities. Nevertheless, the present situation in the Roman Catholic Church in Tanzania seems to diverge significantly from these possibilities. Given this context, my paper will describe and examine the connections between the organizational structure of the Roman Catholic Church and syncretic manifestations in the Church in Tanzania. I will analyze the relation between the locations of decision-making and authority and processes of transformation. These processes take place within a complex dialogue about issues of "tradition" and an institutionalized church that makes claims to universality. Key Words: Religion, Syncretism, Roman Catholic Church, Tanzania

Relational Format

journal article

Recommended Citation

Murchison, Julian M. (1996) "The Roman Catholic Church's Institutionalized Biases: Syncretic Processes in Tanzania," Southern Anthropologist: Vol. 23: No. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/southern_anthropologist/vol23/iss1/6