Walsh, Tony (2006) Experiencing Transculturalism. In: No Longer Strangers: Cultural Integration in Church and Society in Ireland. Dominican Publications, pp. 85-102. ISBN 1-905604-05-X

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Abstract

Those working at the grass roots in any project have a range of wisdom that often remains unrecognised and untapped. It appeared impor tant to redress this common imbalance and to express something of the experience and views of those most involved in transcultural experiences. In order to connect with something of this richness a group of members involved in transcultural congregations were invited to respond to six questions about their Church's story of multicultural development. The respondents were selected for the range and depth of their experience in the field as well as for the variety of their cultural backgrounds. Some of the respondents were ministers or leaders, others described themselves as ordinary local Church members. The congregations in which they were involved reflected many differences, coming from a variety of denominational backgrounds and were located in a wide range of differing contexts. All were situated in Ireland, some in urban or suburban areas, others in towns or villages, scattered throughout the country This chapter tries to encapsulate the respondents' reactions in a way which honours their experience. As well as giving a 'voice' to those most deeply involved in this area of transcultural development, it also seemed imperative to reflect the wide variety of views expressed as well as to note commonality of thought and experience where this existed. Not all those invited to respond did so, and of those who did, not all answered each question. Responses are, however, characterised by aremarkable degree of reflectiveness and insight. Many are profoundly challenging of the respondents themselves and indicate a very high level of both personal awareness and honesty. A number of responses are also quite challenging of the Church structures and of the larger denominational systems. Some question sensitive issues s~ch as existing structures of power, leadership and tradition. Others share very personal aspects of their own journey. All speak for themselves; their views are not necessarily those of others in their congregation or their denomination. Instead, they are stories of a story. If there is an emergent commo~ theme it may be to suggest that the creation of transcultural community provokes a questioning of the assumed status quo in all sorts of unexpected and frequently uncomfortable ways. To preserve a sense of privacy for both respond~nts an~ t~~ congregations involved, responses are not credited to part1cular 1nd1V1duals or congregations.

Item Type:	Book Section
Keywords:	transculturalism; experience; experiences; culture; culturalism; cultures; integration; church; society; ireland; irish;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Adult and Community Education
Item ID:	9752
Depositing User:	Tony Walsh
Date Deposited:	08 Aug 2018 11:38
Publisher:	Dominican Publications
Refereed:	Yes
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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