Creating Resistances: Pastoral Care in a Postcolonial World

Melinda A. McGarrah Sharp, Ph.D. (2010), Vanderbilt University, is Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Care at Columbia Theological Seminary. Author of Misunderstanding Stories: Toward a Postcolonial Pastoral Theology (Pickwick, 2013), her work integrates pastoral theology, ethics, and postcolonial theory.

Contents


Acknowledgements

Illustrations



Resistance Is Many Things

 1 Resourcing Resistances: a Fable

 2 Joining the Resistance

 3 Resisting Means Many Things

 4 Resisting as Pastoral Care

 5 Guide to the Book

 6 Invitation to Readers

 7 Introduction Discussion Questions



1 Unlocking Disbeliefs: Moving through “Not Me” Resistances

 1 Encountering “Not Me” Resistances

 2 Unlocking Disbeliefs: Resisting Injustices in Everyday Life

 3 Resistance Movements that Loosen Hinges of Healing in Everyday Life

 4 Summary and Conclusion

 5 Chapter 1 Discussion Questions



2 Remembering Pasts: Moving through “Not Here” Resistances

 1 Encountering “Not Here” Resistances

 2 Re-Membering Past “Not Here” Resistances

 3 Practicing Resistance Movements: Role Playing Role Playing

 4 Inviting “The Living Me” Here (without the Sugar-Coating)

 5 Chapter 2 Discussion Questions



3 Re-Storying Impassable Futures: Moving through “Not Now” Resistances

 1 Encountering “Not Now” Resistances: Adjudicating Possibilities, Legislating Futures

 2 Re-Storying Impassable Futures

 3 Pastoral Care as Resistance That Restores Possibilities and Re-Stories Dreams

 4 Chapter 3 Discussion Questions



4 Amplifying Phoenix Poets: Moving through “Not Relevant” Resistances

 1 Confronting “Not Relevant” Resistances

 2 Vulnerabilities and Values of Resisting as Pastoral Care

 3 Learning That Resistance Movements Create Dangerously

 4 Moving in Search of the Phoenix Poet (or, a Necessarily Fragmentary Conclusion)

 5 Chapter 4 Discussion Questions



5 Crossing Borders with Healthy Boundaries: Moving through “Not Possible” Resistances

 1 I Am the Resistance

 2 Border Crossing without Healthy Boundaries: Confronting “Not Possible” Resistances

 3 Ethics Conundrums in an Intercultural Paradigm of Pastoral Care

 4 Postcolonializing Ethics in Intercultural Pastoral Care: Soul Work

 5 Learning Creative Possibilities

 6 Making Resistance as Prophetic Pastoral Care

 7 Conclusion

 8 Chapter 5 Discussion Questions


Widening the Scope: Seven Contributions and Connections to Pastoral and Practical

 1 Pastoral Care Begins with a Question: “What Are You Going through?”

 2 Resisting in Pastoral Care and Pastoral Theology: a Brief Historical Trajectory

 3 Multiple Methodological Belonging

 4 Intercultural Paradigm of Pastoral Care

 5 Postcolonializing Pastoral Care: an Ongoing Creative Collaboration

 6 Living Postcolonializing Processes in Practice(s)

 7 Widening the Scope More: Decolonizing Theological Education


Epilogue



Bibliography

Index of Terms and Names

Index of Practices

Index of Biblical Citations