Liturgical Syncretism and Doctrinal Resistance in Coptic Christian Communities of Upper Egypt: An Ethnographic Analysis of Ritual Boundary Maintenance (2010–2023)

Abstract

This study examines the dynamics of liturgical syncretism and doctrinal boundary maintenance within Coptic Orthodox Christian communities in Upper Egypt, focusing on the period 2010–2023. Drawing upon eighteen months of multi-site ethnographic fieldwork, structured clerical interviews, and systematic liturgical text analysis, the research investigates the mechanisms through which Coptic parish communities negotiate the integration of folk-religious practices with canonical sacramental rites. Findings reveal that lay catechetical networks and deaconal orders function as primary agents of doctrinal gatekeeping, effectively mediating syncretic pressures emanating from ambient Sufi Islamic devotional culture. The study contributes a revised typology of liturgical resistance strategies, demonstrating that ritual boundary maintenance is neither static nor wholly institutionally driven, but is continuously renegotiated through localized pastoral authority and interreligious contact zones.