Religious Schism: A Case Study of Social and Political Critique in Sāmoa

Authors

Alexis M. M. Zilen, Gettysburg CollegeFollow

Class Year

2020

Document Type

Student Research Paper

Date of Creation

Spring 2020

Department 1

Anthropology

Department 2

History

Abstract

Examining religious schism within Sāmoa in order to demonstrate that schism of Christianity within Sāmoa, of charismatic-Pentecostal churches from traditional mainline churches, represents a social critique. By unifying under a reformed church environment, which mimics existing religious and cultural systems, Sāmoans are challenging their economic, social, and political positionality, while upholding the traditional framework of the fa’aSāmoa, Sāmoan way of life. This work highlights how individuals within Sāmoa navigate increasingly complex social, political, and economic power dynamics. Much of the focus of explores how individuals exercise religious agency, formulated through a created Sāmoan cosmology, to challenge larger structures of oppression within Sāmoa.

Comments

Written as a Senior Capstone in Anthropology.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Zilen, Alexis M. M., "Religious Schism: A Case Study of Social and Political Critique in Sāmoa" (2020). Student Publications. 825.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/825