Christianity as “True Religion” According to Karl Barth’s Theologia Religionum: An intercultural Conversation with Selected Asian Christian Theologians

This article orchestrates an intercultural theological conversation between Karl Barth’s theology of religions and selected Asian Christian theologians. The latter rightly stress that Barth’s criticism of religions is mainly concerned with Christian religion, although it does allow for the recognition of “other true lights.” Yet, insufficient attention is paid to the fact that Barth considers Christianity in particular “the true religion.” In critical conversation with these Asian reflections, it becomes clear that we need to move beyond Barth because (1) his Christocentrism neglects God’s presence as Creator and Spirit in other religious traditions, (2) Barth’s actualism does not allow him to properly distinguish between the word of God in the Christian Scriptures and in the “other lights,” and (3) this actualism stands in the way of a full recognition of the historical nature of revelation and salvation in Christ.

Trauma Theory, Trauma Story

This work offers an overview of trauma theory’s relations to biblical studies. In addition to summarizing the theoretical landscape(s), it provides exegetical forays into Ezekiel and, in part, Exodus and the Eucharist. The analysis will engage these materials’ traumatic ethoi, including their connections to trauma informed eating and queerings, so as to offer entryways into the wider critical conversation. While these exegetical foci may seem arbitrary, that is in part the point. As readers will see, trauma defies sense-making. Akin to postmodernist poststructuralist intertextualities, trauma cannot be flattened into neat narration. Trauma is capricious, leaving survivors to carry with them multivalent and even paradoxical connections to their experiences. This project thus attempts to perform trauma’s plurisignification as much as it tries to explain it, using a set of traditionally unexamined pairings to do so. While not an exhaustive survey on trauma theory and the Bible – such work could fill the space of multiple publications – the following work provides a representation of both the theory of trauma and its applications within the biblical field.

Teacher-Student Reflections: A Critical Conversation about Values and Cultural Awareness in Community Development Work, and Implications for Teaching and Practice

This reflective, autoethnographic piece provides some insights into our involvement with a program that promotes a value-driven approach to community development work. As a ‘conversation’ between a lecturer and a graduate, or Educator of Informal Educators and Informal Educator, we discuss the process of teaching and learning about values within day-to-day community development practice. We emphasise that a value-driven approach enables informal educators to celebrate cultural diversity, which can be complex in community settings. As the educator of informal educators (Louise), I reflect on the need to explore and demonstrate what value-driven practice looks like in day-to-day practice within community work and not simply state that values are important. This was prompted by self-reflection and the realisation that my teaching failed to illuminate how to bring values to life in all aspects of community work to achieve anti-discriminatory, inclusive and empowering practice. As an informal educator (Matthew), I consider how community development theories and values translate into meaningful practice that celebrates cultural diversity. Reflections are influenced by theories from Paulo Freire, with a focus on his notion that ‘educators should respect the autonomy of the students and respect cultural identities’. An example of Freirean dialogue, the article discusses our critical consciousness through praxis as educator and informal educator. Acknowledging that we are never fully complete—we are always ‘becoming’—we hope the article will be of interest to both Educators of Informal Educators and Informal Educators alike.

Embodiments of bitter narratives: constructing possible Indo-Caribbean identities through the karela

This critical conversation between multidisciplinary artist Sarojini Lewis and curator Priya Swamy explores the possibilities of exhibiting and telling histories of Indian indentured labour otherwise. Focusing on the installation Why Do You Have a Face Like a Sopropo? (Worldmuseum Rotterdam, 2020), Lewis details why and how she sees a bitter, resilient and uniquely shaped vegetable like bitter gourd (‘karela’ in Hindi, ‘sopropo’ in Sranang Tongo) as an extension of memory and ancestry. The authors begin by discussing the karela as an ‘alternative text’ (Mahabir 2009), before contextualising Lewis' wider artistic practice. They then discuss in depth the installation Why Do You Have a Face Like a Sopropo?, its implications, and its methods. Finally, as a form of conclusion, both authors reflect upon what it means to have worked on this installation together, from within their distinct positionalities, and what this may imply for Indian indentured labour histories and experiences in the context of global Indian diaspora narratives.

An ‘Open Data’ Content Analysis to the Jargons and Metaphor in Pakistani News Bulletin

Any nation on the planet that wishes to achieve meaningful success must embark on developmental endeavors. They are responsible for maintaining a peaceful sociopolitical environment for their people. It does, however, differ significantly by region and place. Utilizing democratic jargon in news bulletins helps to criticize the stance and provide the public with literary satire. The aim of this research is to show the impact of 'Open Data' on the development of news bulletins. The OD analysis helps news marketers to ascertain the degree to which their bulletin captures the interest of audiences. Pakistan's economy is insufficient to provide the standard of security needed by its citizens. Numerous strategies have been emphasized to achieve this aim, enabling the government to prioritize its people' health. The open data scheme, which allows widespread access to databases, is one of these crucial advancements within Pakistan's architecture. There are online repositories that motivate their users to achieve greater success in existence. It improves their ability to read and comprehend and teaches them to think creatively. Additionally, it allows them to hone their ability to learn and make the requisite compromises to maximize the potential of their talents. Although there is some pressure to use private data sources, it is critical to remember that not all data is safe. As a consequence, individuals must capture and use this type of clear data. The thesis evaluates the benefits and drawbacks of using current data systems inside the newsroom in order to determine their effect on Pakistan's political communication. The use of open data in news analysis allows journalists to work more efficiently; it is important to have immediate access to each item of news. In other words, these structures allow national institutions to operate with a high degree of accountability. Thus, the possibility of encountering an element of inequality in a world capable of wreaking havoc is extremely remote. Open data models are important for innovation and creativity to accelerate. It has been shown that it was instrumental in establishing a trend of revolutionary development that was fuelled by the provision of these facilities. Five privately owned news organizations with the highest scores were selected to gather data. A critical conversation was held to ascertain the words they used to attract interest.

Two Theories of Hegemony: Stuart Hall and Ernesto Laclau in Conversation

This essay stages a critical conversation between Stuart Hall and Ernesto Laclau, comparing their different appropriations of Antonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony. In the 1980s, Hall and Laclau engaged with Gramsci and with one another in order to conceptualize what they regarded as a triangular relation between the rise of Thatcherism, the crisis of the Left, and the emergence of new social movements. While many of their readers emphasize the undeniable similarities and mutual influences that exist between Hall and Laclau, this essay focuses on the differences between their theories of hegemony and locates the starkest contrast between them at the level of theoretical practice. While the main lesson that Hall drew from Gramsci was the privileging of conjunctural analysis, Laclau proceeded to locate the concept of hegemony at a higher level of abstraction, developing a political ontology increasingly indifferent to any specific conjuncture. The essay argues that this difference between conjunctural analysis and political ontology has a significant impact on Hall’s and Laclau’s respective understandings of two key political formations: populism and identity politics. Thus by focusing on these two formations, the essay argues that Hall’s work should not be read as a derivative or even undertheorized version of Laclau’s, for this tendency obscures substantial differences between their interventions as well as the fact that Hall’s theory of hegemony, as a theory of the conjuncture, ultimately possesses stronger explanatory power than Laclau’s political ontology.

A study of Chinese medical students’ communication pattern in delivering bad news: an ethnographic discourse analysis approach

Background Breaking bad news is inevitable for prospective doctors, it is important for medical students to learn how to humanely communicate devastating news to patients. This study explores the discourse strategies used by Chinese medical students when conducting critical conversations via role-play scenarios. Methods Fifty Year-6 medical students attending the ‘Serious Illness Communication Module’ were recruited from a local medical school in Hong Kong. They were asked to participate voluntarily in two role-play scenarios requiring them to break bad news to a simulated patient in Cantonese. The verbal interactions were video-recorded and analysed using an ethnographic discourse approach to unpack the quality of the observed interaction sequences and identify the discourse strategies strategically used by the medical students to overcome any communication breakdowns (e.g. linguistic expressions conveying diagnoses) and show empathy to patients. Results Six discourse strategies for delivering bad news were identified in the Chinese context: (1) placing great emphasis on patients’ emotional needs; (2) informing patients with a balanced focus on medical and emotional needs; (3) directing patients’ attention to treatment options; (4) acknowledging concerns about dying patients’ physical discomfort and wishes; (5) directing bad news disclosure to patients; and (6) addressing the family expectations of patients. The majority of the Chinese medical students in this study used a patient-oriented approach to cater to the patients’ emotional and physical needs. They also often informed and acknowledged the patients’ family members. Conclusions When delivering bad news, medical students should be equipped with discourse strategies that effectively balance interpersonal communication with the communication of medical expertise, which is integral to ensuring patients’ participation, their understanding and satisfaction with their clinicians. This is in accordance with the existing communication frameworks for critical conversation and demonstrates awareness of the needs in the Chinese context. However, some students demonstrated poor sensitivity to non-verbal cues, such as tone, manners and attitude. Thus, more training using a culturally appropriate model of communication for critical conversation should be promoted.

Unnatural Causes

This essay approaches Blackness as a social contagion to examine the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and police violence. By placing the COVID-19 deaths of Black people who are refused hospital treatment in critical conversation with police murders during the pandemic, this essay argues that a focus on social violence helps clarify how the same racial taxonomies are at play in producing these deadly outcomes. As such, the essay concludes with a broadening of the concept of police power to illustrate how, outside of the private and public political spheres, the amorphous nature of the social drives the demand for collective health and safety through the excision of Blackness as a contagion or coercive element.