73 research outputs found
Dance in the Early Church: sources and restrictions
No full textLaura Hellsten, Åbo Akademi, Systematic Theology
Laura Hellsten is a PhD student in Systematic Theology at Åbo Akademi University. She has a Master’s degree in Education from Oulu University 2008 and Master in Theology from Åbo Akademi University 2012. She is currently working on her thesis, on dance and theology, which deals with the practices of dance in the Western Christian tradition. The thesis will be ready in 2017 and combines ethnographic studies in the Church of Sweden between the years 2014–16 with more historical materials stretching from Biblical narratives to the Middle Ages. She also teaches Religious Education at the International Teacher Education programme at Oulu University.Understanding the role of dance in the Western Christian tradition is an underexplored territory. Sources of historical investigations are few and many of them are problematic. In this article commonly used sources are questioned and a re-examination of earlier research is begun. Focusing on the Early Church in dialogue with writing from the patristic period, a new interpretation is done around the theme of dance prohib-ition. The important contributions of Donatella Tronca as well as Graham Pont and Alessandro Alcangeli to the understanding of dance in the Early Church period are expanded by means of a more extensive theological framework. This article also aims at bringing a broader philosophical and societal understanding of the worldview and social imaginary of the Early Church period to bear on earlier research studies
Dance as an agency of change in an age of totalitarianism
No full textThis article identifies two different paths where the amnesia described by Hannah- Arendt and the fragmentation identified by Willie James Jennings of our historical past has distorted how people today view dan-cing. I set out how the Christian entanglement with colonial powers has impacted on people’s abilities to relate to their bodies, lands and other creatures of the world. I describe how the colonial wound of Western society forms the basis of the loneliness and alienation that totalitarianism inculcates. After this, I examine how people who seek to find a solid tradition of dance within the Western traditions of Christianity often end up in a conundrum when they seek to legitimize the existence of the tradition in the wrong places. I show how seeking roots for Christian dance practices in Jewish customs is often entangled in supersessionist understandings. These arguments are constructed by means of both J. Kameron- Carter’s writings on race and theology and the black political theology outlined by Vincent W. Lloyd. The second-most-often chosen option for creating a dance tradition for Western forms of Christianity is to romanticize the non-Western ‘other’. Using Lindsey Drury’s work, I argue that dancers have perpetuated the interests that seek to possess the ‘other’ by bringing exotic dancers to the Western marketplace. Finally, I describe the third option – more commonly found amongst those critical of Christian tradition – to seek the roots of transformational dance practices in Hellenistic and more esoteric teachings flourishing in the early twentieth century. We run into the often forgotten or neglected stories of renowned dance teachers like Rudolf Laban and Isadora Duncan on this path. By combining esoteric bodily practices, Mother Earth ‘spirituality’ and superior views about race, they not only promoted but laid the foundation for how people were manipulated in the Third Reich. I end by sharing ethnographic stories of resistance towards how these past historical patterns have affected how dance is viewed today. Those exhibiting such resistance are not always consciously aware of the historical roots I have described. However, engagement in contemplative and healing dance practices seems to be forging new and better ways to create community and to live in a connected way with creation and our creatureliness (Hellsten 2021a). The central theme of these practices is to resist the illusion of perfection and control while helping people to listen to and discern the Holy Spirit leading them into a new way of living
A mind of care Responding ethically to COVID-19
No full textThis article approaches issues arising out of being in the middle of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland in March 2020, both from the point of view of the lived experience of caring for people in our conference setting, and through analysing the statements and actions of the Finnish government from the point of view of an ethics of care. It argues that an ethics of care approach is better equipped at dealing with thinking about and understanding complex life situations such as the spread of the pandemic than what the standardised taxonomy approaches offer. It further states that an ethics of care not only provides concepts and frameworks that help people grapple with challenging situations in an ethical manner, it also enables us to imagine how hospitality and solidarity can be envisioned anew
Through the bone and marrow : re-examining theological encounters with dance in medieval Europe
No full textBara sammanfattningen på svenska publiceras här.
Only the Swedish summary of the dissertation is published here.ei tietoa saavutettavuudest
The Liminal Space of Medieval Dance Practices: The Case of St. Eluned’s Feast Day
No full textThis article scrutinizes the use of liminality as a term to understand medieval dance practices. With the case of the feast day of St. Eluned described in Gerald of Wales Itinerarium Cambriae, I first present common ways that historians and theologians have used the term liminality in order to describe historical depictions of feasts of saints where more unruly forms of movement and dancing have happened. I then analyze this specific depiction by Gerald of Wales through a combination of a kinesic approach and a hermeneutics of suspicion and charity. This approach shows that earlier understandings of dancing always being a problematic element in traditions of Christianity in the west needs to be nuanced. After this, I turn to the critique that Caroline Bynum Walker has brought up, concerning the use of the term liminality in the medieval context. Taking her critique seriously, I return to the story of St. Eluned by focusing on the lived religion from the perspective of the female characters in the setting. Finally, I also bring in Vincent Lloyd’s distinction between rituals and liturgy, to further strengthen how theological discussions can bring in more nuanced and important additions in how we may understand chaotic forms of medieval dance in new ways
Dance as a contemplative practice : The space of distinction and union
No full textArticleThis article analyses ethnographic material gathered in Sweden amongst dancers in the Church of Sweden. With the help of the writings of Sarah Coakley and Simone Weil I explore if, and how, dancing could be considered a contemplative practice in the Christian traditions of the Latin West
Transitional Justice, Gender Programming, and the UNSCR 1325: African Context and the Case of Kenya
No full textThe article examines the implementation of UNSCR 1325 ‘Women, Peace, and Security’ within the framework of post-colonial feminism. The author argues that in current international development co-operation, there is a need for deeper understanding of the complex, context-relevant social and political power structures and processes that prevent gender programming from enhancing gender justice. As an empirical case study the article discusses the challenges that the implementation of the UNSCR 1325 has been facing in Kenya.</p
Semipermeable membrane – An artistic research on hiking, camping and the human-nature relationship
No full textTämä maisterin opinnäytetyö on taiteellinen tutkimus retkeilystä ja luontosuhteesta. Se on saanut alkunsa perinteisesssä ja sosiaalisessa mediassa näkyvien retkeilyaiheisten kuvien ja tekijän omien retkeilykokemusten välisestä ristiriidasta. Opinnäytetyössään tekijä kokoaa erilaiset retkeilykuvat retkeilykuvasto-käsitteen alle ja tutkii retkeilykokemusten ja retkeilykuvien suhdetta käyttämällä omia retkeilykokemuksiaan taiteellisen työskentelyn materiaalina.
Viime vuosien aikana retkeilyn ja ulkoilmaharrastusten suosio on kasvanut huomattavasti. Lisääntynyt retkeily aiheuttaa ympäristölle epäsuotuisia lieveilmiöitä, joiden vaikutukset kohdistuvat aineelliseeen ympäristöön, retkeilykulttuuriin ja muihin retkeilykokemuksen synnyttäviin tekijöihin. Tekijä esittää retkeilykuvaston osaltaan vaikuttavan retkeilykulttuurin muotoutumiseen. Retkeilykuvat liittyvät erilaisiin luontosuhteisiin, jotka ilmenevät retkeilyssä ja jokapäiväisessä toiminnassa. Luontosuhdetta ja retkeilyä käsitelltiin opinnäytetyössä ympäristötieteilijöiden Risto Willamon ja Yrjö Hailan ajatuksiin tukeutuen.
Opinnäytetyön menetelmänä on tekijän oma taiteellinen praktiikka. Tekijä maalasi puolen vuoden aikana noin 50 teosta samalla kirjoittaen työskentelystään ja siihen liittyvästä ajattelustaan. Opinnäytetyön tutkimusosuus on taiteellisen työskentelyn lopuksi laadittu kuvien ja kaunokirjallisen tekstin muodostama narratiivi taiteellisesta prosessista, jossa tekijä tutki ensisijaisesti omaa ajatteluaan ja luontosuhdettaan kuvallisen työskentelyn avulla. Taiteellisen työskentelyn keskiössä olivat tekijän omat retkeilykokemukset, joita hän prosessin aikana tarkasteli keholllisina ja aistisina kokemuksina sekä suhteuttaen visuaalista ajatteluaan aiempaan retkeilykuvastoon ja retkeilyn visuaaliseen kulttuuriin.
Taiteellisen työskentelyn tulokset painottuvat ensisijaisesti ajatteluun ja tekijän taiteellisten käytäntöjen kehittämiseen, ja ne esitellään opinnäytetyössä ilman teoksista järjestettyä näyttelyä. Tutkielman tuloksena syntyi pohdintaa erityisesti kliseiden ja autenttisuuden sekä objektiivisen havainnon ja subjektiivisen tulkinnan suhteista kuvallisessa ilmaisussa. Opinnäytteessä pohditaan tekijän praktiikan ja opinnäytetyön tuottaman ajattelun pedagogisia mahdollisuuksia taiteen perusopetuksessa.This Master’s thesis is an artistic research on nature, camping and human-nature relationships. It has been motivated by the dissonance between the outdoor-themed images in traditional and social media and the author’s personal experiences of outdoor activities. The author defines a concept of outdoor imagery that covers the different kinds of outdoor-themed images and he studies the relationships between outdoor experiences and the outdoor imagery using his personal experiences of hiking, camping and nature excursions as the material for artistic work.
Over the last years the popularity of hiking and other outdoor activities has increased noticeably. The increase in outdoor activities has caused unwanted side effects in the environment, the cultures of outdoor activities and the other factors of outdoor experiences. The author suggests that the outdoor imagery in part shapes the cultures of outdoor activities. The outdoor-themed images are linked to different kinds of human-nature relationships that manifest in the outdoor activities and the everyday life. In the thesis the human-nature relationships and the outdoor activities were discussed supported by the ideas of the environmental scientists Risto Willamo and Yrjö Haila.
The methodology of the thesis was built on the artistic praxis of the author. The author painted about 50 paintings over a half-year period while also writing about the artistic process and the artistic thinking involved in it. The research section of the thesis is a narrative consisting of literal and visual elements where the author studies primarily his thinking and his relationship with nature through his artistic work. The artistic work focused on the author’s personal outdoor experiences by representing them as corporeal and sensual experiences and by studying his visual thinking in relation to the existing outdoor imagery and the visual cultures of outdoor activities.
The artistic work produced results in the thinking and the development of artistic praxis of the author. The results are presented in the thesis without a presenting the artworks created over the research process in an exhibition. The research process generated discussion concerning the relationships between cliches and authenticity as well as between the objective observation and the subjective interpretation in visual expression. The pedagogical applications of the artistic praxis of the author and the thinking produced by the research process are discussed in the thesis
Afro-libertarianism and The Social Contract Framework in Post-Colonial Africa: The Case of Post-2007 Elections Kenya
No full textThis paper examines the shortcomings and possibilities of the social contract approach in relation to the Kenyan post 2007 elections political crisis. The author applies philosophical analysis to a practical situation, using Kenya as a case study in
the context of the challenges of post-colonial nation-building. The author reflects on the “Afro-libertarian” politico-economic framework, in which communitarian and communal traditions with egoistic and profit-making individualist libertarian market
rationality are tangled in a fragile, patrimonial state, with strong sub-national loyalties preventing the building of a united nation and a strong state. The thesis of the paper is that if sustainable peace, social reconstruction and national unity are to be achieved, there is need to have an adequate understanding of the moral dimensions of the concept of “social justice”. The focus has to be on the building of an impartial state, with a clear national agenda and strong ethnically and politically neutral institutions and processes
Teknologiakasvatus varhaiskasvatuksessa : kasvattajien kokemukset ja käytännön toteutus : systemaattinen kirjallisuuskatsaus
No full textVarhaiskasvatuksessa teknologiakasvatus on noussut keskeiseksi ilmiöksi, mikä edellyttää kasvattajilta ymmärrystä sekä teknologian merkityksestä, että sen pedagogisesta soveltamisesta. Teknologiakasvatusta toteutetaan monin eri tavoin riippuen kasvattajasta ja päiväkodista. Kasvattajien kokemukset teknologiakasvatuksesta ja heidän toteuttamansa teknologiakasvatus ovat kytköksissä lasten oppimiseen. Näiden näkökulmien pohjalta, tässä opinnäytetyössä tutkitaan varhaiskasvattajien kokemusta teknologiakasvatuksesta ja sen käytännön toteutusta varhaiskasvatuksen arjessa.
Tutkimus on toteutettu systemaattisena kirjallisuuskatsauksena ja sen aineisto koostui kymmenestä vertaisarvioidusta tutkimuksesta vuosilta 2022–2025. Tulosten perusteella teknologiakasvatuksen toteutus jäsentyi kolmeen pääluokkaan. Laaja-alaisessa teknologiakasvatuksessa kasvattajat hyödynsivät teknologiaa monialaisesti yhdistäen sen tutkimiseen, rakenteluun, luonnontieteisin ja luovaan toimintaan. Kohdelähtöinen teknologiakasvatus puolestaan perustui yksittäisiin välineisiin, peleihin tai sovelluksiin, joiden käyttöä harjoiteltiin lasten kanssa. Tiedostamaton teknologiakasvatus ilmeni tilanteissa, joissa teknologiaa käytettiin pedagogisesti ilman tietoista yhteyttä teknologiakasvatuksen tavoitteisiin.
Kasvattajien kokemukset teknologiakasvatuksesta jakautuivat kolmeen luokkaan. Positiivinen kokemus liittyi riittävään osaamiseen, toiminnan miellekyyteen ja teknologiakasvatuksen tunnistamiseen monialaisena kokonaisuutena. Rajallinen kokemus ilmeni puutteellisena digitaalisen kompetenssin omaamisena, kapeina näkemyksinä teknologiakasvatuksesta ja epävarmuutena välineiden käytössä. haastava kokemus puolestaan liittyi teknologian opettelun vaikeuteen, resurssien puutteeseen sekä kriittisin asenteisiin digitaalista teknologiaa kohtaan.
Tutkielma tarjoaa mahdollisuuden tarkastella teknologiakasvatuksen nykytilaa ja samalla se pyrkii nostamaan kehittämistarpeita, joilla voidaan tukea teknologiakasvatuksen pedagogista osaamista ja toteutumista. Teknologiakasvatuksen kehittäminen edellyttää pedagogista sekä digitaalista osaamista vahvistavia käytänteitä varhaiskasvatuksessa
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