Stories, Senses and the Charismatic Relation

Stories, Senses and the Charismatic Relation was published in 2020 as part of the Routledge Library of Anthropology series. Jamie Barnes, a social anthropologist, developed this ethnographic work to examine the intersection of sensory experience and social relations within the context of Pentecostalism in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The book emerged from Barnes's long-term fieldwork, aiming to provide a grounded theoretical perspective on how religious practice is mediated through bodily engagement and communal interaction rather than purely through doctrine.

The design and conceptual framework of the book reflect a rigorous academic approach, prioritizing a phenomenological methodology to capture the 'charisma' inherent in social life. By documenting the lived experiences of his interlocutors, Barnes sought to challenge conventional anthropological understandings of charisma, grounding it in the mundane, sensory details of daily human connection. Upon its release, the text was received by the academic community as a nuanced contribution to the anthropology of religion and the study of sensory sociality, noted for its descriptive depth.