Decolonization and the Politics of Syncretism: The Catholic Church, Indigenous Theology and Cultural Autonomy in Oaxaca, Mexico

Autor/in	Norget, Kristin
Titel	Decolonization and the Politics of Syncretism: The Catholic Church, Indigenous Theology and Cultural Autonomy in Oaxaca, Mexico
Quelle	In: International Education, 37 (2007) 1, S.78-96 (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0160-5429
Schlagwörter	Stellungnahme; Clergy; Catholics; Indigenous Populations; Religion; Cultural Differences; Social Change; Urban Areas; Foreign Countries; Philosophy; Participant Observation; Churches; Politics; Mexico + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Klerus; Katholik; Sinti und Roma; Kultureller Unterschied; Sozialer Wandel; Urban area; Stadtregion; Ausland; Philosophie; Teilnehmende Beobachtung; Church; Kirche; Politik; Mexiko
Abstract	The author's examination of Indigenous Theology and the indigenous pastoral is based on several periods of research over the past ten years in both rural and urban areas of Oaxaca state in Mexico, including participant-observation in several different kinds of church-directed settings and activities, and extensive interviews with clergy and laypersons on their views of transformations within the church. With ample opportunity to observe the articulation of official and popular religiosities in various contexts, the author has become particularly interested in the ways that religion has come to inform Oaxacans' identities and shape their political affiliations. Thus, as she underscores the role of religion as concrete practice, not abstract theology, the basis of her discussion is a particular context wherein a Catholic liberation theological version of Indigenous Theology has been implemented, with the implicit goal of creating a "Popular Church" that would work to instill in indigenous people a more critical consciousness and fortified indigenous identity--and, indirectly, address the social ills that affected indigenous people especially. Her discussion suggests that while liberation theological-Indigenous Theology as a concept promises a radical program for the socio-politically transformative role of (institutional) religion, as actual practice of the Catholic Church, its decolonizing potential is strongly weakened by its apparent refusal to engage with indigenous peoples except through an essentializing perspective of cultural difference. Rather than a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the logical underpinnings of indigenous theology, which is not possible, the goal of this essay is instead to offer a few observations for future consideration of the possibilities--and the limitations--of Christian theological programs for progressive social change, especially in non-Western settings. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 420 Claxton Complex, 1126 Volunteer Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37996. Tel: 865-974-9505; Web site: http://cehhs.utk.edu/publications/default.html
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10