Contemplating Religious Influencers; Religiosity through the Interplay of Embodied Habitus and Technological Affordance

نوع مقاله : مقاله علمی- پژوهشی

نویسنده

Studentská 799

10.22034/jpiut.2026.70182.4326

چکیده

In recent years, online religious engagement has expanded dramatically, transforming how faith is expressed, shared, and embodied. Within the Islamic context, a growing number of digital influencers—particularly hijab-wearing women—have emerged as prominent figures who promote Islamic values, modest fashion, and spiritual identity through social media. This article examines this phenomenon by drawing on two complementary theoretical frameworks: Bourdieu’s notion of embodied habitus and Gibson’s theory of affordance. It argues that the dynamic interplay between habitus—the socially and bodily ingrained dispositions that shape religious life—and affordance—the material and technological possibilities offered by digital platforms—constitutes a key mechanism through which online religious subjectivities are formed. Rather than viewing social media as a rupture from tradition, the article situates digital piety within a longer genealogy of mediation in religious practice. Religion, it suggests, has always been enacted through the interrelation of body and technology—from prayer beads and manuscripts to smartphones and social networks—each enabling new ways of sensing, performing, and sustaining the sacred in everyday life.

کلیدواژه‌ها

موضوعات


عنوان مقاله [English]

Contemplating Religious Influencers; Religiosity through the Interplay of Embodied Habitus and Technological Affordance

نویسنده [English]

  • EHSAN ARZROOMCHILAR
South Bohemia University
چکیده [English]

In recent years, online religious engagement has expanded dramatically, transforming how faith is expressed, shared, and embodied. Within the Islamic context, a growing number of digital influencers—particularly hijab-wearing women—have emerged as prominent figures who promote Islamic values, modest fashion, and spiritual identity through social media. This article examines this phenomenon by drawing on two complementary theoretical frameworks: Bourdieu’s notion of embodied habitus and Gibson’s theory of affordance. It argues that the dynamic interplay between habitus—the socially and bodily ingrained dispositions that shape religious life—and affordance—the material and technological possibilities offered by digital platforms—constitutes a key mechanism through which online religious subjectivities are formed. Rather than viewing social media as a rupture from tradition, the article situates digital piety within a longer genealogy of mediation in religious practice. Religion, it suggests, has always been enacted through the interrelation of body and technology—from prayer beads and manuscripts to smartphones and social networks—each enabling new ways of sensing, performing, and sustaining the sacred in everyday life.

کلیدواژه‌ها [English]

  • Religion
  • Habitus
  • Affordance
  • Embodiment
  • Islamic Influencers
  • Hijab
CAPTCHA Image