Integration of Social Critical Consciousness in Missionary Methodology for Social Transformation
Social critical consciousness, understood in terms of one's awareness of his/her social identity and positionality, is a crucial component of social transformative action, particularly in multicultural contexts. While there is a vast literature examining the significance of social critical cons...
| Authors: | ; |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
2023
|
| In: |
Transformation
Year: 2023, Volume: 40, Issue: 1, Pages: 34-48 |
| IxTheo Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy CH Christianity and Society KBN Sub-Saharan Africa KCA Monasticism; religious orders KDB Roman Catholic Church RB Church office; congregation RJ Mission; missiology |
| Further subjects: | B
church in Kenya
B missionary methodology B pastoral methodology B Faith-based social transformation B positionality |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Social critical consciousness, understood in terms of one's awareness of his/her social identity and positionality, is a crucial component of social transformative action, particularly in multicultural contexts. While there is a vast literature examining the significance of social critical consciousness among practitioners in social fields, there is not much evidence of such a reflection in Church environments. The present study explored the relationship between social critical consciousness and pastoral action for social transformation in two international missionary religious orders ministering within the Catholic Church in Kenya. The qualitative data was gathered using interviews and focus group discussions involving 34 participants (26 male and 8 female), who were purposefully sampled from the religious orders. A sample of archival documents were also analysed. The findings indicate that generally pastoral practitioners avoid the challenge of owning their social identity and positionality, and rather take refuge in the charismatic identity of their religious orders. They exalt their mission without due focus on their own identities. The outcome of this lack of social critical consciousness is a fragmented pastoral and charity work rather than systematic social transformation. The study proposes a positive engagement with complexity by integrating positionality and allyship in missionary methodology and focusing on building a social critical community prior to any pastoral action for social transformation. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1759-8931 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Transformation
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/02653788221131903 |