«Atmospherically Different? Contemporary Japanese Christian Worship Services in Comparison»
Worship services are different in different churches. Based on denomination, liturgy, church design, and theological orientation as well as preferences of church leaders, most churches celebrate the weekly ritual in their own way. As religious situations, worship services also have certain atmospheres that emerge in an interplay of materiality, sociality, and affect. Since the constellation of these elements is usually unique to each church, I explore in this presentation whether atmospheres of worship services at different churches are distinct from each other. By presenting results of my analysis of Japanese worship services, I intend to compare the socio-spatial arrangements and atmospheres of a few exemplary cases in order to examine the potential of atmospheres as influential components of identity and boundary-making practices of churches in Japan.
