Mapping public theology : beyond culture, identity, and difference / Benjamin Valentin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Valentin, Benjamin.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hispanic American theology.

Physical Description:

xxi, 162 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Harrisburg, Pa. : Trinity Press International, [2002]

Summary:

At its best, theology can speak to a large and diverse audience, providing a social and political vision that pulls people together as they work toward worthy political goals. But now, at a time when such a broad vision is badly needed, specific theologies such as liberation theology, process theology, and feminist theology seem to offer narrowing and even divisive social and political visions. In Mapping Public Theology, Benjamin Valentin explores the ways that one of these theologies -- Hispanic/Latino theology -- can overcome its fractious nature and strengthen it relevance to society and politics in general. He provides a model for mapping a public theology that transcends the borders. Rather than embracing a kind of identity politics, Valentin says, Hispanic/Latino theology needs to move beyond narrow categories to examine and speak to larger issues such as the political economy and classism, engagement with public policy, and racial and ethnic social relations. Hispanic/Latino theology must use its resources to address a wider audience on social justice and should provide broader visions of social and political emancipation.

Contents:

1. The Staging Ground of U.S. Hispanic/Latino Theology: Latino/a Life in the United States 1

Hispanics or Latino/as: Their Recent Past and Present 5

The Mexicans and Mexican Americans/Chicanos 10

The Puerto Ricans 18

The Cubans 25

Other Latino/as: Central and South Americans, and Dominicans 29

Forging a Panethnic Latino/a Identity 31

2. Traversing the Enchantment with Symbolic Culture and Identity Politics in U.S. Hispanic/Latino Theology 39

Culture, Identity, and Difference: Mestizaje and Popular Religion 43

Latino/a Culture and Identity Matters 44

The Cultural Configurations of Latino/a Mestizaje 45

The Theorizing of Mestizaje in U.S. Hispanic/Latino 46

Theology: Virgilio Elizondo's The Future Is Mestizo and Galilean Journey 48

Popular Religion in U.S. Hispanic/Latino Theology: Orlando Espin's The Faith of the People 59

Playing "Beyond" Symbolic Culture, Identity Politics, and Difference: The Need for a Public Theology 67

3. Cultivating a Public Perspective in Hispanic/Latino Theological Discourse 81

Mapping Public Theology 81

The Value of the Public Realm and a Publicist Outlook 88

Liberalism, Individualism, and the Eclipse of the Public 91

Capitalism versus the Cultivation of a Public Perception 97

Racism, the Rise of Identity Politics, and the Significance of a Public Disposition 101

Activist Coalitions, Public Discourse, and Theology 107

4. Expanding Visions, Fusing Horizons: Latino/a Theology and Public Discourse 117

Diversity, Equality, Multiple Publics, and Interpublic Relations in the Public Sphere 120

Coupling the Aspirations of Latino/a Theology and Public Discourse 129.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [141]-153) and index.

ISBN:

1563383918

OCLC:

50034874