Search

The present study focuses on the identity constructions of a group of young Tunisian homosexuals. Led by a survey based on semi-structured interviews with nine Muslim gays and six Muslim Lesbians, the study attempts to report on the negotiations between a Muslim identity and a homosexual identity. The qualitative analysis of the data reveals the attachment of gays and lesbians to their sexual identity. Nevertheless, the relationship with Islam takes many forms. Some opt for the separation between the practice of the precepts of Islam and the homosexual practice in order to diminish the dissonance between faith and homosexuality. Others choose to move towards a form of spirituality by creating an individual and singular relationship with God. Finally, one of the questioned gay men opts for detaching himself from Islam for a better preservation of his sexual identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I look at personal histories of middle class women who belong to a Catholic group in Quito, Ecuador. Using a poststructuralist definition of the subject I explore the reasons why these women intentionally break the Church’s rules and make decisions that constitute sins. I argue that in order to understand their disobedience to Catholicism, it is necessary to contextualise their decisions. Their choices can be explained if we look at these women’s lives not only as Catholics but also as belonging to a social class and ethnicity and as members of a family. In this paper I want to explore how these different affiliations are combined and why and when one is prioritised over the others. In other words, how Catholic women adapt religion to fit in with their other needs. Ultimately, this paper will provide insights on the concept of agency and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deep crisis of the traditional socializing institutions (school, family and churches) has its counterpart in the crisis of the way socialization processes have been working up till now. The author proposes an analytical framework to reconsider the changes in the recent processes of religious socialization. This analytical proposal, using four ideal types, shows the new ways of religious socialization, which could be called "complex". At the same time, the analytical framework suggests that the affective and relational elements are quite influential in the understanding of its development and outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]