> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: [[Jugaad Project]] [[Urmila Mohan]] > Reference:: https://garlandmag.com/loop/efficacious-intimacy/ > Date:: 2024-03-13 > Tags:: #warp #warp/talk > WeftLinks:: [[Cultural value of craft]] [[Spiritual value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - Craft plays an important role in worship]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary > This platform publishes articles about spirituality is a material practice. This conversation included the editor and two contributors to the publication: Mohan, U. (2024). *The Efficacy of Intimacy and Belief in Worldmaking Practices*. Routledge. Urmila Mohan introduced the Jugaad Project in relation to her academic research into bhakti (devotional love). She described it as a "platform for sharing ideas, archives and everyday hacking techniques to make things happen and be effective." The concept of "efficacious intimacy" relates to the way belief practices, materials and emotions make worlds. She offered a personal reflection related to the crochet that her grandmother bequeathed that comes out of the Indian Catholic culture. ![[Mohan_Talk_Mar_24.pdf]] Patricia spoke about her research that relates to her personal devotion to the Umbanda religion practiced in Brazil. She described how she sought to fulfil the wishes of a deity through the making of a black porcelain doll. Susan Rodgers reflected on the use of textiles to give tangible meaning to processes of pregnancy and childbirth. This extended to the work she was doing with local refugee artisans in the Massachusetts area. In discussion, we considered the value of consumer commodities from this perspective. The issue of context was raised, where consumer items such as cameras can become sacred through specific rituals to bless common objects. It was presumed that objects made by hand had greater power to engender meaning. The Moana hosts commented on the challenge in recognising the cultural value of what happens in religious spaces, such as churches. Key contributions to the wheel: - The Jugaad platform is an impressive platform for making craft knowledge accessible, which is appreciated by those whose work features in the publications - The ties that bind us are a product of making, mediated by traditions, materials and creativity - Religious spaces and practices are important sites of contemporary culture. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ls8LMvs0FJ0?si=Oi1mDz_0ymgTMx3B" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> Urmila Mohan (Ph.D., 2015, University College London/UCL) is an anthropologist of material culture with a focus on clothing and bodily practices. She is Honorary Research Fellow, Dept. Of Anthropology, UCL, and the founder/editor of the open-access digital journal [“The Jugaad Project”](https://www.thejugaadproject.pub/). She has researched and theorized materiality, praxis and aesthetics in diverse contexts including museums, religious communities and pandemic activist groups and in various regions, including India, Indonesia and the U.S. Her research has been funded by Victoria and Albert Museum (Nehru Trust for Indian Collections), London; Asian Cultural Council, New York; Coby Foundation Ltd., New York, and Rotary International. A transdisciplinary scholar who works across domains and geographies, she draws upon her background in anthropology, design and art to develop and teach courses that connect these fields. Patrícia Rodrigues de Souza is Assistant Professor in the Post-Graduation Programme of Religious Studies at Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo (PUCSP), Brazil, where she also earned a Doctorate (2019) and Master’s degree (2015) in Religious Studies. She founded RELIGMA, a research group on Brazilian material religion, and is a member of CERAL, a research group for the study of alternative religions in Brazil. Susan Rodgers is Professor Emerita, Anthropology, and Distinguished Professor Emerita, Ethics and Society, College of the Holy Cross, U.S. She received her Ph.D. (Anthropology, University of Chicago, 1978) on issues of ethnic identity construction, ritual oratory, indigenous print literatures and literacies, and minority/state relations. In addition to an extensive list of publications, Rodgers has guest curated numerous museum exhibitions on Indonesian arts and textiles.