Wear ‘n’ tear and repair: the colour coding of mystical mending in Zulu Zionist Churches
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 9 |
| Key points | Argues that the colors chosen by Zulu Zionists from among those salient to Africans express how they situate themselves within their social universe and plot their response to it in ritual healing, and that the ritual significance of this color symbolism has not been seriously studied. |
Abstract
Abstract One of the most conspicuous aspects of religious experience in Zulu Zionist Churches is the bright colours that are worn and otherwise employed. Surprisingly, this highly visible feature has attracted only passing attention from those who have studied these Churches; certainly no serious effort has been made to uncover the ritual significance of their colour symbolism. Against the background of anthropological studies of the therapeutic deployment of colour symbols in Africa and in the light of my own research among Zulu Zionists, this article sets out to show that the colours selected by Zionists from among those of salience to Africans express how they situate themselves within their social universe and plot the process of their response to it in ritual healing.