Commonalities and differences in older people

1
Commonalities and differences in older peoples
experience of life passage rituals in Eastern
and Western Europe

• Daniela Koleva, University of Sofia
• Peter Coleman, University of Southampton

2
Marking Transitions and Meaning across the Life
Course Older Peoples Memories of Religious and
Secular Ceremonies in Eastern and Western Europe
(RASC) http//www.southampton.ac.uk/mrasc/

• Research project supported by the AHRC/ESRC
  Religion Society Programme 2010-2011
• Ageing, Ritual and Social Change (ed. by Peter
  Coleman, Daniela Koleva, Joanna Bornat) Ashgate,
  forthcoming end of 2012

3
Approach

• Interdisciplinary gerontology, oral history,
  sociology of religion
• International UK, Bulgaria, Romania
• Comparative by design
• Complexity of national contexts
• Several thematic axes ageing, religiosity,
  (de)secularisation
• Religiosity and secular alternatives
• Object of research constructed in an unusual way

4
Constructing the research object

• Focus on individuals, not institutions
  religiosity and its alternatives
• Focus on the practices the central aspect of
  everyday religiosity are practices (habitus, i.e.
  unreflected practical dispositions) not beliefs
• Focus on rites of passage link of individual
  life course to the public/social aspects of
  religious practices
• Focus on changes including secular alternatives
  
• Older peoples perspective well-being in old age

5
Research questions gerontology

• What have been the changes in use of ritual that
  older people remember and how were they
  experienced?
• What are the consequent benefits as well as
  losses perceived by those who have witnessed the
  changing trends in ritual?
• What is the character of alternative secular
  forms of ritual which have produced as meaningful
  sense of occasion for life transitions?
• What is the remaining attraction of religious
  ritual for those who have little or no explicit
  religious belief and practice?

6
Methodology

• 20 men and women from each country
• Half of them members of dominant churches, half
  other denominations and non-believers
• Age 75
• Urban settings two sites in each country
• Oral history life stories semi-structured
  interviews, common guide
• Interviews transcribed and translated into
  English
• Work with each others interviews case studies,
  typologies (also across countries)

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Are you religious? (EVS 2008)http//www.europeanv
aluesstudy.eu/
8
How important is God? (support in
religion)http//www.europeanvaluesstudy.eu/
9
Is a church service important to mark
death?http//www.europeanvaluesstudy.eu/
10
Generational commonalities social normativity

• Belonging/being useful for others more important
  than authenticity (being true to oneself)
• Conformity this is how its done
• Solidarity, responsibility for family and
  friends doing the right thing for
• Cultural memory and identity thats who we are

11
Ethos conformity valued

• It seemed the natural thing to do (Viorel, RO)
• Even when we went to Easter or services, it was
  because everybody went, I dont know how to say
  this (Florina, RO)
• Well, I think its a common law. (Dinu, RO)
• Anyway I think we just carried on. And when you
  wanted to get married you had to belong, you had
  to join a synagogue. We werent religious, I
  wouldnt say we were religious. (Barbara, UK)
• Its about being decent people (Betty, UK)

12
Morality solidarity with family and friends

• There are some things, I don't know. That run in
  your blood, you know? Everybody in our family was
  an orthodox, and I will die also an orthodox.
  (Florina, RO)
• And especially their parents insisted in keeping
  these traditions, arguing that it is the right
  way ... (Mirela, RO)
• They parents always observed traditions. In the
  past people always observed traditions. Always.
  (Valentina, BG)
• I knew that, you know, Id done my duty kind of
  thing by doing the right thing by her, mmm, yeah
  (Polly, UK)

13
Identity cultural memory and belonging

• I was not a believer. But it was a custom. I mean
  I cared for respecting these customs. (Florina,
  RO)
• This is a tradition. No one can say its his or
  her own. Neither pagans, nor priests. (Diman, BG)
  
• I seemed to get the idea that if I wasnt
  confirmed I wouldnt be a fully functioning
  member of British society. (Polly, UK)
• I wont have a civil marriage only, I wont
  neglect the traditions of our family and of us as
  Bulgarians (Andon, BG)

14
Religious Contrasts between Eastern and Western
Europe

• Western Europe shows a pattern of declining
  Christian affiliation and church attendance.
• The USA shows a similar pattern although decline
  began later and from a higher initial level
  (Putnam Campbell, American Grace How Religion
  Divides and Unites Us, 2010).
• But Eastern Europe shows a different pattern as a
  result of secularization and the persecution of
  religious persons by atheistic communist
  governments, and the recovery of Christian
  affiliation and church attendance after 1989,

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Religion and ageing

• Religiosity traditionally has been expected to
  increase with advanced age because of the
  psychological (security, meaning, belonging in
  face of decline and death) and social benefits
  (role in transmitting ritual and beliefs across
  generations) which it provides
• Therefore, as religion declines in the West, one
  might expect the well-being of the older
  population to be adversely affected, and those
  belonging to closer religious communities to be
  advantaged
• It has been argued that welfare policy for older
  people should take more note of religion and
  possible functional alternatives to religion
  (Howse, Religion and Spirituality in Later Life,
  1999, Centre for Policy on Ageing, London).

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But does religiosity increase in later life?

• Difficult to investigate because of cohort and
  selective mortality effects
• Best evidence from the 35- year Longitudinal
  Study of Generations (Bengtson et al, Univ. of
  Southern California). Shows large degree of
  stability over time, but from lower starting
  points for successive generations.
• G1 b.1888-1911 slight increase in very late
  in life G2 b. 1914-35 G3 b.
  1945-58 slight decrease from mid to late life G4
  b.1967-86 decline in 20s, rise in 30s.
• Data from the UK is generally consistent with
  this picture although decline began historically
  earlier (Coleman, Belief and Ageing Spiritual
  Pathways in Later Life, 2011)

17
Effective transmission of religion Eastern Europe

• The main factor in the survival of religion is
  its effective transmission. Early socialisation
  appears to be very important to continuing
  practice.
• The oldest cohorts in Eastern Europe, those
  socialised before the communist repression of the
  post-war years, are a strongly religious
  generation, more so than in most of Western
  Europe. Strong family influences, including
  especially from grandparents.
• In our study those in Bulgaria and Romania,
  especially those aged over 85 years at interview
  were more religious, both in belief and practice,
  than their UK counterparts. They had maintained
  their religion despite persecution, often
  marrying and baptising their children in secret
  at home.

18
The oldest old in Bulgaria and Romania during
difficulties

• I didnt lose my faith in God! Not for one .Not
  for one moment. And when they came to my window
  at night because they knew that worked .from
  another I knew they went and harassed women I
  said, God, if thats all I deserve, Your will be
  done! I waited in the kitchen .. Shaking from
  head to toe . (Teodora, RO, 86 years)
• I do have faith in God and also in the Holy
  Mother .. It has never happened to me to pray
  and not get what I prayed for, there are some
  things nobody would imagine you could do
  something like that and lo and behold I have
  thought the thought and God has helped me. There
  used to be days without money and no sooner had I
  thought .. (Ecaterina, RO, 85 years)

19
The oldest old in Bulgaria and Romania being old
with God

• Sometimes its cold, I say, Dear Lord, when
  will the bus come? And in a minute it comes. He
  helps me, its again God that helps me. Thank you
  Lord! Im on the bus! Besides, every morning I
  wake up, I believe its the first day of the rest
  of my life, its the first day, the next day .
  my life that belongs to God (Andon, BG, 87
  years)
• I know that nothing happens without the will of
  God, and if God let this happen, then we shall
  bear it
• At night, lying in bed with his wife both
  frail and feeling their physical powerless,
  praying May Your gaze descend upon us, O most
  pure and eternally virgin Mother Mary
  (Aurelian, RO, 96 years)

20
Dimana, 91 years old, Bulgaria

• Early socialisation Wed been brought up to
  fear God. Family (of husband) was even better.
  My mother-in-law lived for God only . Hand in
  hand, the two of us, wed go to church
• During communism When my husband died, they
  invited me to the Cathedral. The years were such
  that men were afraid to serve in church. So they
  even asked me to help at the altar In communist
  times baptisms werent allowed but I have about
  70 godchildren because I worked in the cathedral.
  Whoever secretly came to be baptized
• Life Every morning when I get up, the first
  thing I do is to cross myself in front of the
  icon, I wash and I say Dear Lord, you first, I
  follow Now that I cant see so well and I cant
  hear, Dear Lord , send me guidance
• Death Ive prepared everything. The incense,
  the candles, the basil, a bunch of flowers.
  Everything has to be ready, so the children dont
  worry.

21
Conclusions and hypotheses for further
investigation

• On most indicators Eastern Europeans appear to
  practise religious rituals more than Westerners.
  This practice appears to have been more
  effectively transmitted across generations, even
  in the period of persecution, and to continue to
  have strong emotional valence across the
  life-span.
• Religious transmission is more effective when it
  is based in family centred ritual from an early
  age with its resulting associations of secure
  attachment and bonding.
• Ritual is also more influential (than didactic
  teaching) because it expresses transcendent
  mystery. Engagement in physical acts of ritual
  continues to confirm faith into late old age.
• The development of expertise in ritual practice
  leads to greater ownership and thus to some
  measure of independence from ministers of
  religion, and thus protection from the effect of
  disillusionment with their weaknesses.