Wardenaar, Rachel (2021) Being blinded by loneliness. Bachelor thesis, Bachelor Theologie.
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2020-2021-TH Wardenaar, R.L.G.. ba-thesis.pdf - Submitted Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (646kB) |
Abstract
This thesis is about loneliness among the visually impaired, and how two important Christian rituals can help blind people to deal with feelings of loneliness in the Netherlands. I use both theory and empirical research to look closely at those concepts and the connection between them. The problem of loneliness is very present in our society. It is interesting to look at what rituals in the Protestant church can mean for people who feel lonely. I will focus on one vulnerable group I know well, the group of people with a visual impairment. I will look at what loneliness is and how it can be experienced. I will also try to find out if this problem is more present among people with a visual impairment. Then I will elaborate on ritual studies and on what meanings and emotional effect a ritual can have on a person. Using this theoretical framework, I will conduct empirical research in order to see how in the Protestant church, the two main rituals of baptism and the Eucharist help blind people to deal with loneliness, by using interviews. I will ask my participants about feelings of loneliness in their lives, and about what emotional meaning the two main Christian rituals have for them. I will also ask after their blindness. I will also conduct an interview with a minister to hear how she performs those rituals with people with visual impairment. I will conclude that these rituals have an emotional value if they are lived in a church community, but that the connection between loneliness and blindness is not a direct and necessary one, and that this research also raises some questions for further research. Although religious activity can help to reduce feelings of loneliness, it is not clear how this is different for people with visual impairment than for other religious people. At the end, I will discuss what could be done more in depth during future research.
| Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) | ||||||||||||
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| Degree programme: | Bachelor Theologie | ||||||||||||
| Academic year: | 2020-2021 | ||||||||||||
| Date of delivery: | 16 Sep 2022 12:18 | ||||||||||||
| Last modified: | 16 Sep 2022 12:18 | ||||||||||||
| URI: | https://ggw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/640 |
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