Home and Exile – Dancing in the Mess of Contradictions
This is a meta-reflection on the methodological and epistemological challenges of doing ethnographic theology in a context outside the church or religious communities. Particularly, it argues that in a multi- or inter-disciplinary setting theologians are placed in a precarious position when it comes...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Open Philosophy |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2022-0210 |
| _version_ | 1818027588018241536 |
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| author | Hellsten Laura |
| author_facet | Hellsten Laura |
| author_sort | Hellsten Laura |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This is a meta-reflection on the methodological and epistemological challenges of doing ethnographic theology in a context outside the church or religious communities. Particularly, it argues that in a multi- or inter-disciplinary setting theologians are placed in a precarious position when it comes to use of language, theories and concepts if they want to speak simultaneously to the people they encounter in the field and to their “own” scientific community. The article asks how a researcher can do theology in a secular environment without doing violence towards ones interlocutors and still be considered to “belong” in the theological community? Based on the lived experiences of ongoing research and particularly concerning the gathering and telling the stories of Women in the Natural sciences, the author weaves together Eileen Campbell-Reed’s and Sarah Coakley’s methodological frameworks in order to present her own method of contemplative dance. The author uses rich metaphors and the sensory experience of “Home” and “Exile” in relationship to the movements in a foot to bring forth her embodied insights about dancing in the messy entanglement of ethnographic research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:50:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8390f257832d4ceaae0f546ef2a19c52 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2543-8875 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:50:17Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Philosophy |
| spelling | doaj.art-8390f257832d4ceaae0f546ef2a19c522022-12-22T02:01:38ZengDe GruyterOpen Philosophy2543-88752022-06-015147448910.1515/opphil-2022-0210Home and Exile – Dancing in the Mess of ContradictionsHellsten Laura0Department of Systematic Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Åbo, 20100, FinlandThis is a meta-reflection on the methodological and epistemological challenges of doing ethnographic theology in a context outside the church or religious communities. Particularly, it argues that in a multi- or inter-disciplinary setting theologians are placed in a precarious position when it comes to use of language, theories and concepts if they want to speak simultaneously to the people they encounter in the field and to their “own” scientific community. The article asks how a researcher can do theology in a secular environment without doing violence towards ones interlocutors and still be considered to “belong” in the theological community? Based on the lived experiences of ongoing research and particularly concerning the gathering and telling the stories of Women in the Natural sciences, the author weaves together Eileen Campbell-Reed’s and Sarah Coakley’s methodological frameworks in order to present her own method of contemplative dance. The author uses rich metaphors and the sensory experience of “Home” and “Exile” in relationship to the movements in a foot to bring forth her embodied insights about dancing in the messy entanglement of ethnographic research.https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2022-0210ethnographytheologydancecontemplative methodfeministembodied knowingmultidisciplinary researchpractical theologysystematic theologypilgrimage |
| spellingShingle | Hellsten Laura Home and Exile – Dancing in the Mess of Contradictions Open Philosophy ethnography theology dance contemplative method feminist embodied knowing multidisciplinary research practical theology systematic theology pilgrimage |
| title | Home and Exile – Dancing in the Mess of Contradictions |
| title_full | Home and Exile – Dancing in the Mess of Contradictions |
| title_fullStr | Home and Exile – Dancing in the Mess of Contradictions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Home and Exile – Dancing in the Mess of Contradictions |
| title_short | Home and Exile – Dancing in the Mess of Contradictions |
| title_sort | home and exile dancing in the mess of contradictions |
| topic | ethnography theology dance contemplative method feminist embodied knowing multidisciplinary research practical theology systematic theology pilgrimage |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2022-0210 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hellstenlaura homeandexiledancinginthemessofcontradictions |