Practising Ecumenism Through Boundary Work and Meta-Coding. Issue 2 (4th March 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kirsch, Thomas G.
• Is Part Of: Journal of southern African studies. Volume 44:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 345
• Page End: 359
• Publication Date: 2018-03-04
• Subjects: ecumenism -- meta-coding -- fractal recursion -- Christianity -- Zambia; Africa, Southern -- Periodicals; 968.005
• DOI: 10.1080/03057070.2018.1425068
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-7070

Abstract

Abstract : Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork on religion in Zambia, this article engages critically with approaches that suggest that ecumenism necessarily occurs across socio-religious boundaries. I argue that the objective of ecumenism – namely, good-willed co-operation between religious practitioners who are otherwise separated from each other in terms of their institutional affiliations – can also be attained through boundary work and use of the meta-codes 'non-Christian – Christian' and 'Christian –"real" Christian'. I contend that using these meta-codes in the logic of what has been called 'fractal recursion' allows people to stress situationally the existence of commonalities between religious practitioners and/or religious groupings that, at other points in time, are perceived to be different from each other. In this way, the shifting of categorical boundaries produces ecumenical reality effects.