A Gladdening Vision of a Dancing Christ: Findings of a Ritual Ethnography of Intercultural Icons

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

In this paper, the authors present Christian artist Joy Elamkunnapuzha’s use of Indian classical and mythical elements in his religious artworks, particularly in two North Indian churches. These intercultural icons, which incorporate symbols from Hindu traditions like mandalas and mudras, have been central to the worship practices of local Catholic communities for over three decades. Through ritual ethnography, the study reveals how these visual representations mediate ritual affectivity and communal imagination, impacting identity formation and spiritual engagement in a multi-religious context. Respondents—including worshippers, ministers, and religious students—attest to the transformative impact of these images, as they negotiate between Christian metaphors and Hindu aesthetic traditions. The research is grounded in practical theology, liturgical theology, and ritual studies, contributing to the works of Indian Christian cultural activists like Jyoti Sahi. This article is clear, concise, and suitable for the journal's scope. Several suggestions are supplied:

1. Suggest the authors enhance the introduction with more recent related kinds of literature.

2. Suggest the authors supply the title for the table.

3. Suggest the authors supply more detail in sentences about the data collection.

4. Suggest the authors supply more detail in sentences about the statements overview. 

Author Response

Thank you for the constructive feedback. In response, I have supplied descriptive titles for the tables. Regarding the data collection, I revised the section to include more detailed information on the methodologies, such as participant observation and data collection, to offer a more comprehensive understanding of the process. The text now includes more background and contextual details of the artworks in the study. Additionally, I enhanced ‘the overview of statements’, providing explanations to better communicate the key insights from the data. 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article is excellent, it touches the challenges of interculturality and establishes a good dialogue between theology and art. The abstract is well written and brings up the necessary elements.

Derived from empirical research, the work answers to the objectives that are well defined in the introduction section. The method is pedagogically described, and it clearly exposes the ways in which data were collected and the criteria that guided its systematisation and analysis. The article manages to satisfactorily organize the data according to quantitative and qualitative analysis. It develops a good discussion, followed by an indication of the limits and possibilities of further research.

In addition, in terms of writing, the text is considerably innovative, since it uses audiovisual resources. The videos produced aid the comprehension the scenario of the reception of the icons, which is the focus of the research.

I believe that the article, once published, should contribute greatly to contemporary theological reflection, especially regarding its dialogue with art.

Author Response

I greatly appreciate your acceptance of the article in its present form and your commendation of the innovative use of audiovisual elements. These contributions, as you note, are crucial for advancing the dialogue within the field of religion and art. It is motivating personally for me as an young scholar. I have incorporated additional details to the descriptions as per the feedbacks from other reviewers.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The theoretical framework and anthropological exposition of the function of the image in the second chapter is correct. Also the use of ethnographic methodology and the approach to the study of the image is justified. As well as the work of data collection through surveys.

However, the analysis of the results is quite limited.

The author says in the introduction that this type of studies presents a unique intersection of Christian liturgy and Hindu aesthetics, however, throughout the work we find that he has given greater weight to the second question and very little to the first.

The fifth chapter is too short and, in my opinion, this chapter is fundamental and should be given greater attention.

More information is required about the image that is the object of study. There is a lack of data on its date of creation, location, stylistic characteristics, relationship of the image with the work of its author, who, besides, is practically not mentioned. We do not know if it is an important work or it has no relevance, nor the reasons for its selection by the author of the article for analysis.

I think this requires further justification.

Thus, the image of the Epiphany of Christ in his second coming, the central icon in Darsana Mandir, should be analyzed iconographically, taking into account its sources and attributes. Subsequently, an approach to its meaning should be made from the iconological method, taking into account cultural and contextual aspects.

It would be important to understand the reason for its choice as the central icon in Darsana Mandir and what are the original meanings that this image has, for example in the Western context, but also in the Hindu context.

To then explain the implications and reactions that this image has on the survey participants.

For a better approach to methodologies specific to artistic visuality, such as visual perception, iconography and iconology or visual anthropology, I recommend reading classic Western authors such as Ernst Gombrich, Keith Moxey or Hans Belting, inter alia.

Author Response

Thank you for the costructive feedback on the manuscript. In response to your right observation on my introduction of the central artwork,  in Section 5, I have expanded the description to include a detailed explanation of the icon's cultural context, significance, and the reasoning behind its selection for study. I have also added more qualitative data, including participant quotes, to enrich the analysis and further support the transition to the quantitative section.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I recommend accepting the article in present form