Clive Pearson | Charles Sturt University (original) (raw)

Papers by Clive Pearson

International Journal of Public Theology, Oct 12, 2023

International Journal of Public Theology, May 8, 2020

International Journal of Public Theology, Jul 13, 2021

This report focuses on the critical analysis of Islamophobia and its various manifestations in Au... more This report focuses on the critical analysis of Islamophobia and its various manifestations in Australia since 2014. Leaving aside terminology and historical Islamophobia within Western (e.g. Orientalism, colonialism, neo-conservatism) and Australian (e.g. dispossession of Indigenous Australians and racism towards different ethnic groups) settings, this report documents and analyses the present manifestations of Islamophobia. Grounded within a theoretical and empirical framework, the report explores the individual and institutional aspects of Islamophobia and the relationships between the two. While analysing diverse manifestations, the report does not claim to capture all forms of Islamophobia inclusively. The report is organised in two sections. Section I describes the theological, political and cultural aspects of Islamophobia as reflected in various institutions. Section I also examines the interplay of Islamophobia within the religious plane, the political sphere, media reporting of Islam and Muslims, right-wing organisations and in the field of criminology. Section II presents and analyses data gathered via the Islamophobia Register Australia reflecting Australian Muslims’ Islamophobic experiences. The report captures and critically analyses 243 verified incidents reported between September 2014 and December 2015. While these incidents do not reflect all local experiences of Islamophobia in Australia, they shed light on many aspects of its manifestations, nuances and complexities. The report findings signify the circumstances under which anti-Muslim hate incidents exist, operate and affect Australian Muslims, and illustrate specific characteristics of Islamophobia

The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 2017

African Sun Media eBooks, Dec 13, 2019

One of the gifts of the Global Network for Public Theology (GNPT) is the formation of collaborati... more One of the gifts of the Global Network for Public Theology (GNPT) is the formation of collaborative scholarly relationships and friendships among partner institutions. These partnerships and friendships enrich global public theological scholarship, while providing opportunities for theologians from diverse and varied contexts to engage with one another's work and revisit their own contributions in the light of differing perspectives.

International Journal of Public Theology, Jul 1, 2019

International Journal of Public Theology, Dec 21, 2022

International Journal of Public Theology, 2022

International Journal of Public Theology

The rapid changes in the nature of the global presence of the Christian faith is reshaping the pr... more The rapid changes in the nature of the global presence of the Christian faith is reshaping the practice of a public theology. There is a wave of new voices, sites, and fresh issues breaking. Some of the former established patterns of a western-derived public theology do not always address these situations directly: sometimes they are found wanting while the implications of the decline of the church in liberal democracies are liable to recast the agenda of a public theology. It is also the case that the energy and vitality of the public presence of religion and its theology in the Global South invites more than solidarity. There are new intersections for a public theology in differently conceived public spheres and through the agency of gender, generation and ethnicity. The case for a distinctive feminist rendering of a public theology leads Ruth Wivell to consider such through the lens of trauma and the 'living on' experience of post-trauma. She does so via a reading of the haemorrhaging woman in Mark's gospel. The organizing question is not the conventional one for a Christology-'who do you say that I am?' It becomes instead 'who touched me?'. Wivell presents a decentred Christology. Rather than a reliance on words touch and body become the effective conduit for self-knowledge. The Jesus of this text lacks cognition and is devoid of the power commonly associated with 'the ultimate saviour figure'. For a public theology in this incident he becomes the exemplar of a 'therapeutic witness'. What is required of a public theology is the capacity for a deep 'listening to the personal and social lives of the disenfranchised' and 'the disempowered other'. Wivell concludes her argument with a warning: 'For many public theologians who are used to speaking and being heard, the shift to witness-with its lack of power and cognitive understanding-will indeed be a challenge'. One of the striking features of some contemporary public theologies is the extraordinary pressure being brought to bear on what were thought to be stable democracies. Samoa is a case point. For most of its history it has been deemed to be a beacon of stability as it wove together indigenous cultural practices, the Christian faith and democratic ideals. That reputation was brought into question with the constitutional crisis that ensued following the general election of 2021: on the night of the initial count the two leading parties were tied. This result was unprecedented: how to proceed was far from clear and made more difficult by the Prime Minister's refusal to step down. Sam Amosa describes the