In his thesis, Mother bird hovering over the city: space, spirituality and a community-based urban praxis, the promovendus adopted a trans-disciplinary, praxis-approach to consider participatory, critical and liberationist planning and city-building processes. His journey was about the soul of the city, embodied in its spaces and its people. It reflected on unfolding urban spaces, tracing dynamics in the Berea-Burgers Park neighbourhood of Tshwane’s inner city between 1993 and 2016. The narratives emerging from this neighbourhood was brought into conversation with a range of other narratives, hoping to discern and propose a vision for a community-based urban praxis. The journey originated from a deliberate option for the city’s most vulnerable people, hoping to contribute towards a city characterised by radical forms of inclusion, sustainability and justice. It recognised that space is not neutral and spatial constructs are shaped by deep value frameworks that are prejudiced, exclusive and oppressive, or equalising, inclusive, and life-affirming. What the promovendus sought to discern and outline was a spirituality that can infuse planning praxis and spatial thinking: making spaces that will mediate dignity, justice and well-being. Part I of the study considered a new epistemology, identity and methodology, expressed in the metaphor of “becoming like children”, requiring a new selfunderstanding for those involved in planning, city-building or place-making, but also amongst urban citizens and vulnerable urban dwellers: to reclaim their own voice and agency in processes of city-making. In Part II of the study, after describing and deconstructing urban spaces and discourses in a contextual-narrative way, a spirituality and ethic of urban space are developed. It argues for a radical shift from planning as bureaucracy and technocracy, to planning as immersed, participatory artistry: opening up to the “genius” or (S)pirit of space – the Mother bird – hovering over urban spaces, responsive to urban cries, of humans and earth alike, and inviting us to be co-constructors of new and surprising spaces, mending and making whole. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Town and Regional Planning / PhD / Unrestricted

Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology

The study commenced by identifying existing forms of Christian education using top-down education within South African Baptist Convention churches. The research established that current models of education were unsatisfactory, as they were individualist, spiritualised and lacking contextual insight A need for Christian education showing greater sensitivity to context was highlighted. A descriptive study ensued implementing Osmers'descriptive-empirical tasks within the field of Practical Theology. Informed by literature relating to liberation theology, critical pedagogy and South African contextual theology, Groome's Shared Praxis Approach (SPA) to education was selected for exploration as a type of contextual Christian education.The research had two objectives.Firstly it explored the five educational movements of SPA, as they were outworked in the township church. Secondly, it sought to establish whether SPA could potentially serve as a type of contextual Christian education within the South African context. SPA was therefore outworked within a Baptist Convention church in the township of Munsieville. Following a qualitative approach, the research observed two Bible Studies implementing SPA and undertook six semi-structured interviews.These were recorded and analysed. Conceptualisation of the data involved content analysis from which codes and categories emerged, as well as drawing on the literature as a lens to analyse and interpret that data. Inter-linked characteristics of contextual Christian education emerged from the data. These related to:contextual stories told by participants; cultural understandings of the Christian Story, and; critical reflection concerning praxis. The findings highlighted that SPA encouraged participants to engage in a participatory, praxis approach to education. Participants read the Christian Story dialogically; in community 'with' each other, as well as in relation to their context. Accordingly, the Christian education process emerged from the bottom-up, enabling participants and facilitator to co-create knowledge. The consequences of this education process indicated liberativc characteristics. The implications ofthese findings were explored. The study's pra xis cycle concludes by offering recommendations for both implementation and further study. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)