READING OTHER-WISE: RE-ENVISAGING THE READING PRACTICES AND PLACE OF THE SOCIALLY ENGAGED BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

  • Gerald West University of Natal
Keywords: reading the bible, reading strategies, Africans and the Bible

Abstract

This article attempts to chart the reading strategies and resources of ordinary African 'readers' of the Bible and to probe the place of the socially engaged biblical scholar in relation to these strategies and resources. The first part of the article offers a historical and methodological account of the early encounters of Africans with the Bible. Vincent Wimbush's interpretative history of the Bible among African Americans serves a useful heuristic function here. The second part of the article explores how ordinary African 'readers' actually 'read' the Bible - a process which I refer to as 're-membering' the Bible. The third part of the article draws on a range of theoretical perspectives, including postmodern, postcolonial, and womanistlfeminist notions of subjectivity and identity in order to re-envisage the reading practices and place of the socially engaged biblical scholar.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Gerald West, University of Natal
University of Natal
Published
2015-10-10
Section
Articles