Seite - 10 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Band 07/01

10 | Daria Pezzoli-Olgiati and Christian Wessely www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/1, 7–12 new-born child. Christos Kakalis’ article “In the Orality/Aurality of the Book. Inclusivity and Liturgical Language” explores the effect of decoding writings in a contemporary Christian-Orthodox liturgy in Scotland. The transformation of texts and symbols stored in books into sounds and songs creates a transito- ry liturgical space where different Orthodox traditions amalgamate. The contribution by Christian Wessely “Material Traces of a Religious Trial. The Case of Ludwig Teschler”, reconstructs a case of witchcraft accusation in 17th century Styria. While it re-collects various facets of this complex sto- ry, the article focusses on the role of materiality in transmission processes. The manuscripts it analyses, discovered by chance, are the only trace of this occurrence. Moreover, the material aspect and the kind of writing affect the contemporary researcher in various ways: not only does the message need meticulous decoding, but also it conveys an emotional status and – in its very materiality – the traces of the centuries. Time has rendered parts of the documents unreadable and therefore in need of reconstruction, which will be a product of the researcher’s context. The second, “Reading The Book of Jo- seph. A Communication-Oriented Analysis of Far Cry 5”, considers the various meanings of the representation and materiality of a book that was originally created in a computer game. The Book of Joseph travels between digital and analogue spheres, adapting its effects and meaning-making processes to the media in which it is materialised. These varied studies are united by a com- mon interest in the effect of the materiality of writings in diffusion processes through time and social spheres. A further topic emerging from cross-reading this issue concerns the rela- tionship between the materiality of writing and identity practices. “‘As i can- not write I put this down simply and freely’. Samplers as a Religious Material Practice” by Daria Pezzoli-Olgiati deals with the autobiography of a lower-class woman, composed in silky red cross-stiches in 19th century England. The au- thor reviews her life and organises her feelings and memories as she evokes moral texts and songs and prayers, as well as biblical quotations. These re- flections are articulated by means of the slow, precise writing technique that today affects readers through its literal threads. The textile work discloses a struggle for identity mediated through female skills that were taught to un- married women, necessary at that time for making a living. Ulrike Luise Glum in “The Tattoos of Armenian Genocide Survivors. Inscribing the Female Body as a Practice of Regulation” explores the relationship between writing and identity by considering tattoos as a practice of humiliation and assimilation as well as exclusion. The use of tattoos in the context of the Armenian Geno-