Praxis of Faith
Trajectories of Mutual Zombification in the Praxis of Post-colonial Faith in South Africa: A Need for African Decoloniality Theology
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Bekithemba Dube
In this theoretical paper, I tap into Mbembe’s (1992) concept of mutual zombification to start a debate about the need for African decoloniality theology (ADT) for contemporary praxis of Christian faith. Observing the praxis of faith in post-colonial states among the ‘new’ religious movements, I argue that there is a need for theologians to rethink theology in the context of religious mafiarisation, extortion, abuse, constitutional delinquency, political oppression and coloniality of God. I use decoloniality theory to articulate and suggest the need for ADT. I answer the question, what are the trajectories of mutual zombification and how will ADT involve? I submit in this paper that ADT can provide meaning to faith in post-colonial states that is devoid of coloniality, oppression, extortion and constitutional delinquency, a Christian faith where people tap into both modernity and post-modernity, as opposed to mutual zombification that favours abusive religious leaders.
Integrating the Buddhist Practice of Mindfulness into the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Timothy Pedigo, Patricia Robey
Many of our public health problems are the result of compensatory behaviors like smoking, overeating, and alcohol and drug use, which provide immediate comfort from the emotional problems caused by traumatic childhood experiences but never really address the root cause. Prevention practices that address avoidant and compensatory behaviors are particularly relevant in order to address the root traumas and distress and begin a path towards wellness. The Buddhist practice of mindfulness is a method of prevention and a way to realize improved health. Living mindfully means staying engaged and open to others and ourselves with gentleness and empathy. While this way of living has inherent value, it is also correlated with the realization of health and happiness. Mindfulness practices such as breath meditation or Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) and other compassion based practices are designed to help rework negative deep self-structures that effect many people but especially traumatized individuals. The use of mindfulness practices in therapy provides a great opportunity for transformation, but can also be misused and cause damage to vulnerable clients such as those who are working through trauma. The presenters will discuss the potential challenges, benefits, and guidelines for best practice of mindfulness when used as a therapeutic approach for trauma.
21st Century English Pedagogies of Private Islamic School Teachers in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Yusop Boonsuk, Muhammadafeefee Assalihee, Nachima Bakoh, Ibrahima Lamine Sano
Private Islamic schools have been a popular choice for education among Muslims in ASEAN. These education institutions play vital roles in education management and student development. For the Muslim students to become a quality 21st-century citizen, they should possess desirable characteristics with adequate global-scale competing capacity. It is inevitable that one of the qualities required to fulfill such grand-scale adequacy is English proficiency. Since the more people have become competent at English, the more diverse English-speaking individuals are, i.e., not every English-speaking person out there is a native speaker. To address this, private Islamic schools should not continue to employ conventional English teaching strategies. The 21st-century Muslim students deserve a more practical teaching approach that can prepare them for the new challenge of diverse English environments. This study aims to analyze and synthesize English pedagogic countermeasures of private Islamic school teachers against the 21st century learning challenges. Purposively selected, the samples were 9 private Islamic school teachers in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview and focus group discussion. The derived qualitative data were then processed with content analysis. The findings revealed 6 ELT strategies that are effective for language acquisition in Islamic environments: new teaching roles and functions; active and collaborative learning; technological integrations; localized learning materials; English communication in other learning areas; and 6) learners’ learning reevaluation. The findings can be adapted as English teaching strategies for Muslim students in both the secular education section and religious schools.
