An emic understanding of monks’ involvement in economic activities and work assignments: Evidences from the Mändaba Mädhanëāläm Monastic Community in Lake Tana, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Monasticism has had spiritual, socioeconomic and cultural significance since its inception as a religious order in Egypt during the 3rd C. Although it is viewed in the broad spectrum of the social and economic arena, monks’ involvement in the economy and work assignments is a topic that has remained relatively under-researched. This study, thus, attempts to fill the knowledge gap on monks’ engagement in the economy and work assignments based on emic rationalization. The study found that monks’ engagement in the economic activities is unavoidable as it is embedded within their coherent religious life. The self-government, deprivation of previous economic privileges, social duties the monastics have, self-reliance and industrious traditions of the monastic community have been recognized as endowing factors for the inevitability of economic engagement. Monks’ involvement in the economic activities does not infringe their spiritual missions, for they pursue a low consumption pattern, moral values, internal supervision, religious practices and the strict rules of the monastery. Work is as integral and obligatory a part of monastic life as prayer and fasting are, although it cannot substitute the worth of prayer. Apart from livelihood significance, work also has social, religious, personal and institutional values. Monastic work constitutes a junction where religious order (life) and socio-cultural values meet and complement each other. Monastic work and economic activity are uniquely embedded within a fixed religious order and one can get meaningful insight about them if they are interpreted based on the insider’s views.

Keywords

• emic understanding
• monks
• economy
• work assignments
• mändaba mädhanëāläm