“Aware-Settler” Biblical Studies: Breaking Claims of Textual Ownership

“Aware-Settler” is a term coined here to describe the various hermeneutics that arise as increasingly, non-Indigenous biblical scholars take seriously that their research is done on colonized Land. Paying special attention to the principle of possessiveness, the article suggests breaking stubborn Se...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Matthew R. Anderson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Sheffield 2019-01-01
Series:Journal for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hcommons.org/deposits/view/hc:26772/CONTENT/3.-anderson-final-proofs-pp-42-68.pdf/
_version_ 1818835858250268672
author Matthew R. Anderson
author_facet Matthew R. Anderson
author_sort Matthew R. Anderson
collection DOAJ
description “Aware-Settler” is a term coined here to describe the various hermeneutics that arise as increasingly, non-Indigenous biblical scholars take seriously that their research is done on colonized Land. Paying special attention to the principle of possessiveness, the article suggests breaking stubborn Settler-scholar hidden-default assumptions of ownership, proposing instead that biblical texts might be understood as another form of “Treaty territory.” Indigenous scholars’ common emphases on Landedness, relationality, spirituality, and community good, can inform methodologies employed by Settler biblical scholars. These hermeneutical principles, learned in a contact zone characterized by attention to reciprocity and respect, are employed in a brief look at Matthew 28:25–28. The so-called Great Commission is a foundational text of colonialism; many Indigenous scholars have judged it as “unreadable.” For that reason it provides a particularly appropriate test-case for applying Aware-Settler hermeneutics focussed on breaking claims of identity and ownership.
first_indexed 2024-12-19T02:57:23Z
format Article
id doaj.art-f7913775ddc2444ba4bd7dda5d24bbb6
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2633-0695
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-19T02:57:23Z
publishDate 2019-01-01
publisher University of Sheffield
record_format Article
series Journal for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies
spelling doaj.art-f7913775ddc2444ba4bd7dda5d24bbb62022-12-21T20:38:19ZengUniversity of SheffieldJournal for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies2633-06952019-01-0111426810.17613/wzwr-e062“Aware-Settler” Biblical Studies: Breaking Claims of Textual OwnershipMatthew R. Anderson“Aware-Settler” is a term coined here to describe the various hermeneutics that arise as increasingly, non-Indigenous biblical scholars take seriously that their research is done on colonized Land. Paying special attention to the principle of possessiveness, the article suggests breaking stubborn Settler-scholar hidden-default assumptions of ownership, proposing instead that biblical texts might be understood as another form of “Treaty territory.” Indigenous scholars’ common emphases on Landedness, relationality, spirituality, and community good, can inform methodologies employed by Settler biblical scholars. These hermeneutical principles, learned in a contact zone characterized by attention to reciprocity and respect, are employed in a brief look at Matthew 28:25–28. The so-called Great Commission is a foundational text of colonialism; many Indigenous scholars have judged it as “unreadable.” For that reason it provides a particularly appropriate test-case for applying Aware-Settler hermeneutics focussed on breaking claims of identity and ownership.https://hcommons.org/deposits/view/hc:26772/CONTENT/3.-anderson-final-proofs-pp-42-68.pdf/aware-settlerindigenoussettlerhermeneuticsbiblical scholarship
spellingShingle Matthew R. Anderson
“Aware-Settler” Biblical Studies: Breaking Claims of Textual Ownership
Journal for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies
aware-settler
indigenous
settler
hermeneutics
biblical scholarship
title “Aware-Settler” Biblical Studies: Breaking Claims of Textual Ownership
title_full “Aware-Settler” Biblical Studies: Breaking Claims of Textual Ownership
title_fullStr “Aware-Settler” Biblical Studies: Breaking Claims of Textual Ownership
title_full_unstemmed “Aware-Settler” Biblical Studies: Breaking Claims of Textual Ownership
title_short “Aware-Settler” Biblical Studies: Breaking Claims of Textual Ownership
title_sort aware settler biblical studies breaking claims of textual ownership
topic aware-settler
indigenous
settler
hermeneutics
biblical scholarship
url https://hcommons.org/deposits/view/hc:26772/CONTENT/3.-anderson-final-proofs-pp-42-68.pdf/
work_keys_str_mv AT matthewranderson awaresettlerbiblicalstudiesbreakingclaimsoftextualownership