Daniela Lucia Rapisarda

Focusing on the Mediterranean, this book offers a theological hermeneutics from the perspective of the margin/border and a theological hermeneutics of the border. At the core is a case study of the Italian Protestant minority and its engagement with issues of migration. While much of current migration theology is built around the principle of sacralization of the migrant person or 'vertical' association between divinity (God or Jesus) and people on the move, this work offers a 'horizontal' perspective on humanization or recognition of the value of every human being, based on the principle of a shared humanity created in God’s image, and a sense of identification, first by people at the margins. This approach seeks to avoid essentializing migrantness and victimhood. Elaborations on the relation between identity and migration are often sustained by exclusionary logics that lead to repressive policies. The book proposes a contextual theological reflection on minority identity that is at its core inclusive. It offers a contribution to theology beyond confessional borders and is open to dialogue with other disciplines, particularly critical border studies.

Oaths of Peace is an important contribution to the field of African theology, as it offers a model of contextual theology that holds together the two dimensions of inculturation and liberation, often perceived in opposition. Furthermore, this book contributes to research on theology and peacebuilding by providing a hitherto unavailable account of the grassroots theology that supported the People to People Peacemaking Process that was conducted in Southern Sudan from 1997 to 2002. By telling the story of the People to People Peacemaking Process, Oaths of Peace shows how grassroots peacebuilding initiatives contributed to the national peace process and the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and the South of Sudan in 2005. While the primary focus of the present study is the articulation of theological reflections on inculturation and liberation in relation to peacebuilding, Oaths of Peace also contributes perspectives on religious and grassroots peacebuilding. A large portion of the book is devoted to material drawn from interviews with actors in the process, allowing the reader to read the stories and hear the voices and reflections of religious actors—both women and men—engaged in peace work. This study is relevant for anyone interested in contextual theology, African theology, liberation theology, inculturation theology, theology of peacebuilding, and religious peacebuilding. Oaths of Peace is particularly suitable for students at the bachelor’s and master’s level.