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Research Paper | Sociology | India | Volume 9 Issue 2, February 2020 | Popularity: 4.7 / 10
Negotiating Priesthood in the Public Eye: A Sociological Study of Protestant Clergy in Dindigul District
R. Kumaran, Roopa Hari
Abstract: This study examines how Protestant priests in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu navigate their professional identity and perform their roles using personal and institutional resources. Drawing on Erving Goffman's dramaturgical theory and a phenomenological lens, this qualitative study analyses life - history interviews with eight Protestant clergy. The findings reveal that priests undergo complex processes of professional socialisation, identity negotiation, and impression management as they balance their sacred calling with contemporary social expectations. The study identifies key themes such as emotional regulation, role distancing, and adaptation to modern technology and dress codes. While many priests enter the vocation through imposed choices or spiritual experiences, all eventually engage in active identity construction through social interaction. The research highlights the tensions between public performance and private self, showing how religious professionals mediate institutional expectations and lay community perceptions. This article contributes to the sociology of religion and professions by offering an ethnographic account of priesthood as both vocation and performance, suggesting that religious leadership is deeply shaped by context, interaction, and symbolic labour.
Keywords: priesthood, professionalism, dramaturgy, impression management, Protestant clergy, identity, Tamil Nadu
Edition: Volume 9 Issue 2, February 2020
Pages: 1960 - 1964
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.21275/SR200213160116
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