Catholicism in day to day life in Argentina during a pandemic year: Blurring the institutional boundaries

Abstract

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the policies implemented by states in response to it have created a new global scene. Religious practices, as the majority of social exchanges, are carried out at home. This new context raises again one of the most interesting questions in the analysis of contemporary religiosity in Latin America: the relations between the faithful and the institution, the individual, and the society. This article analyzes the everyday life religious practices of Catholic individuals during pandemic and lockdown times in Argentina, based on field work conducted from March to December 2020 using digital ethnography tools. The article focuses on how religions face the pandemic situation and people’s demands, the renewed importance gained by the home’s intimate spaces which were newly sacralized as they became the center of everyday religious practices, and the rituals which emerge from online communication. The conclusions emphasize the importance accorded by communities to emotional support and the management of emotions and to coping with personal and family problems. Besides, the article states that Catholic communities develop theologically and ideologically contrasting projects through a differentiated use of online media.