Opus Dei social action in Argentina. Between ethics and sacrifice
Keywords:
Opus Dei, charity, philanthropy, humanitarianism, giftAbstract
This paper aims to reflect about the way in which religious social action is understood. In the first place, it explores the notions of personhood from which Opus Dei social actions are organized. Besides, it presents different possible ways of analyzing these activities. This research results from the field work experience I conducted for my PhD between 2015 and 2019. The activities that Opus Dei organizes to answer poverty aim to educate, not only to the direct recipients of the activities but also to those who “give”. Then they could develop correctly in their daily and -future- professional occupations which are the way in which they can reach sainthood according to Opus Dei. This is why, involving in these actions is one of the ways in which they can become saints. By exploring the case of Opus Dei it is possible to enrich the way in which gift actions are interpreted.
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