Bodies, theology and Dante’s divine comedy : engaging Dante and Aïda Muluneh

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dc.contributor.author Bosch, Rozelle Robson
dc.date.accessioned 2021-09-16T11:34:23Z
dc.date.available 2021-09-16T11:34:23Z
dc.date.issued 2020
dc.description.abstract Placing the words Comedy and Africa in the same sentence, is like laying claim to two expansive and complex entities which do not immediately bear relation to another and yet, there is ample opportunity for engagement. The article begins by showing how a young South African’s reading of the Divine Comedy through the lens of her own preoccupation with the body and its theo-performative demeanour can bring fresh perspectives to the fore. A primary instance of the intersection between the body, God and theological performance is the Ethiopian artist Aïda Muluneh’s interpretation of Inferno, canto xx. Muluneh’s performative expression transforms the scope and meaning of tears in the Comedy by bringing to bear her own particularity. Here, tears become central in unveiling the truth that the Comedy speaks. The article explores the significant role that gestures have in giving form to the Divine Comedy. As the logic of relationality, love forms the spine of this article while drawing together the themes of creation and incarnation. The article ends by suggesting that if one has a proper understanding of the relationship between humans and the created order, one might find a theology from below latent in the Comedy. en_ZA
dc.description.department Philosophy en_ZA
dc.description.librarian am2021 en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://ojs.reformedjournals.co.za/index.php/stj en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Bosch, R.R. 2020, 'Bodies, theology and Dante’s divine comedy : engaging Dante and Aïda Muluneh', Stellenbosch Theological Journal, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 159-182. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 2413-9459 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 2413-9467 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.17570/stj.2020.v6n4.a7
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/81885
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Theology en_ZA
dc.rights © 2020 Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, Stellenbosch. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. en_ZA
dc.subject Creation en_ZA
dc.subject Relationality en_ZA
dc.subject Love en_ZA
dc.subject Christology en_ZA
dc.subject Anthropology en_ZA
dc.subject Aesthetics en_ZA
dc.title Bodies, theology and Dante’s divine comedy : engaging Dante and Aïda Muluneh en_ZA
dc.type Article en_ZA


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