Towards an Understanding of Embodiment in Digital Space – A Practical Theological Perspective

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical exploration of the notion of embodiment as it pertains to practical theology and lived religion. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, religious communities responded by increasing engagement with digital spaces and digital forms of worship. This necessarily challenges traditional notions around the idea of embodiment and how the body is understood in non-corporeal religious space. Contemporary memorial culture and its ritualised behaviour provides an effective lens with which to observe and study the evolving role and understanding of digital embodiment. This article uses a ritual perspective to deconstruct traditional notions around the corporeal body and explores the role of memory as an important consideration at the nexus of offline-online life.