Joseph, Decentered Vision of Diaspora Space Those Who Are Often Misrepresented Or Excluded by Socio-Political Discourse in the US
The Decentered Vision of Diaspora Space: Theological Ethnography, Migration, and the Pilgrim Church Jaisy A. Joseph Seattle University Abstract In this article, I examine the decentered vision of diaspora space that emerges from the encounters with difference present in theological ethnography, the migrant experience, and the pilgrim Church. I first argue for how crossing borders, both cultural and disciplinary, places a researcher in the intersectional power matrix of diaspora space. Second, I explore how this displacement contributes to a distinct pluralistic epistemology that invites a researcher to gain a methodological glimpse of what migrants experience existentially. Finally, I explore how the vulnerability of this decentered epistemology reveals that the Christian church is also a diaspora space, especially through a rediscovery of its own identity as a pilgrim people of “The Way.” By learning from the methodological insights of theological ethnography and the existential condition of migrants, the church too can become conscious of its own decentered position in the “already, but not yet.” “…you can be an immigrant without risking your lives Or crossing these borders with thrifty supplies All you got to do is see the world with new eyes…”1 eaturing rappers K’naan (Somali-Canadian), Snow Tha Product (Mexican-American), Riz MC (British-Pakistani), and Residente (Puerto Rican), these lyrics from The Hamilton Mixtape are inspired by the Broadway musical’s show-stopping line, “Immigrants, we get the job done!” Released Fin December 2016 amid contentious national debates on border walls and travel bans, this song speaks for Practical Matters Journal, Spring 2018, Issue 11, pp. X-XXX.
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