Producing moral geographies: The dynamics of homophobia within a transnational religious network

摘要

The transmission and contestation of putative transcendent moral values has been relatively under-represented in geographers' thinking about globalisation and transnationalism. This paper does so through an analysis of how a new moral geography is being produced by debates over homosexuality in one transnational religious network: the Anglican Communion, a major international Christian denomination that has been significantly divided in recent years over the issue. The paper begins by outlining the beliefs articulated by Anglicans who claim an 'orthodox' position on homosexuality, the threat that 'orthodox' Anglicans perceive from the international dissemination of progressive values about lesbian and gay equality and the transnational dynamics of the debate. The second half of the paper reflects on the impact of these transnational debates on the local lived experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Christians drawing on empirical research in England, the USA, South Africa and Uganda. The paper concludes by arguing that understanding why and how particular moral certainties are promoted as transcendent causes matters because challenging such processes are crucial in the struggle over the shape and meaning of social relations in the twenty-first century. In doing so, the intention is to reinvigorate the field of moral geographies.