Missionaries as Communicators of Foreign Cultures

مرکز و کتابخانه مطالعات اسلامی به زبان های اروپایی

منو

" Missionaries as Communicators of Foreign Cultures "
Antti Räsänen, Eila Helander

Document Type	:	AL
Record Number	:	1067089
Doc. No	:	LA110718
Call No	:	‭10.1163/1572543X-12341448‬
Language of Document	:	English
Main Entry	:	Antti Räsänen
	:	Eila Helander
Title & Author	:	Missionaries as Communicators of Foreign Cultures [Article]\ Antti Räsänen, Eila Helander
Publication Statement	:	Leiden: Brill
Title of Periodical	:	Exchange
Date	:	2017
Volume/ Issue Number	:	46/3
Page No	:	285–305
Abstract	:	This article examines the writings of Finnish missionaries: what the missionaries wrote about local people and cultures and how the content of their writings changed during the latter part of the 20th century, which was a period of major political and cultural change in the countries where the missionaries worked. The data consists of 526 writings published in the major Finnish mission journal Suomen Lähetyssanomat during the years 1946-1989. The primary methodological approach is quantitative, and the data is mainly analysed in a descriptive manner. Statistical tests are utilized to show the association between independent and dependent variables. The results are interpreted with the help of the concept of otherness. Missionaries’ writings reveal a more positive attitude towards local people than local cultures, but during the study period a change towards a more positive attitude to culture can be detected. The longer the history of Finnish missions in a particular region, the more positive the missionaries’ attitudes towards local people are. During the study period, the problem-oriented descriptions of cultures shift to solution-oriented descriptions. These changes indicate efforts towards a positive interpretation of otherness. The study reveals the possibilities that quantitative analysis may open up for mission studies.
Descriptor	:	change
Descriptor	:	culture
Descriptor	:	discourse
Descriptor	:	Finland
Descriptor	:	General
Descriptor	:	missiology
Descriptor	:	missionaries
Descriptor	:	Theology and World Christianity
Location & Call number	:	‭10.1163/1572543X-12341448‬