Guatemala City is a city of contrasts, a city that meshes beauty and affliction. The beauty is reflected in the landscape and its people; affliction, however, is woven throughout Guatemalan history and expressed through the collective woundedness of Guatemalan society. After more than five hundred years of colonialism and coloniality, and twenty-four years after the signing of the peace accords between the army and the revolutionary movement in 1996, Guatemalans still carry their collective woundedness into all areas of personal and public life. For that reason, this dissertation responds to the question, what will a practical theology of peacebuilding look like in Guatemala City in response to the collective woundedness of Guatemalan society? In order to respond to the question presented above, I use the paradigms of practical theology, liberation theology, and mimetic theory in dialogue with each other to provide a relevant, contextual, and liberative response. In the search for an answer, I interviewed fourteen grassroots leaders from the CMT Guatemala network, and I explored their faith practices in relation to the Guatemalan collective woundedness. The process follows three steps. Firstly, I provide a description of the Guatemalan context, and the theory-laden practices of the interviewed grassroots leaders. Secondly, I framed the dissertation within contextual theology in order to develop a practical theology of liberation that is contextually relevant and cross-contextually applicable. Finally, the theory-laden practices that the interviews and focus groups called forth helped me propose a practical theology of liberation that responds to the Guatemalan collective woundedness through the ethics of what I call Human Catechism. Human Catechism is a term conceived in community, though proposed for the first time in this dissertation. Human Catechism begins with the ethics of love. It is the process of developing faith practices that help us reimagine each other’s humanity in the midst of global sacrificial theology. In this dissertation, I propose that Human Catechism is a practical theology of peacebuilding and liberation that seeks to heal the collective woundedness of not only the Guatemalan context, but also other environments around the world. This dissertation contributes in three ways to the field of practical theology. Firstly, it applies René Girard’s mimetic theory to field of practical theology. Secondly, it provides a tool that could be used for contextual analysis. I developed interdependent categories for contextual analysis that can easily be translated to other developing countries of the global south. Finally, it contributes at the local level empowering grassroots leaders to begin conversations that will allow them to decolonise their faith practices, and hermeneutics. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Practical Theology / PhD / Unrestricted

In just a few years, cancel culture has become the topic on everyone's lips. It's an exciting, but also to a certain extent a treacherous phenomenon that has etched into our society, both online and offline. It moves quickly and is constantly changing, but where does it come from, and what drives it?  In this study, I map out how cancel and call-out culture are constructed by conducting a research overview. The theoretical framework consists of theories about the scapegoat mechanism, the public sphere, and digital activism. The material consists of 33 peer-reviewed articles.  The results show that research has been conducted across several research areas, with the majority of the articles falling under the field of media and communication studies. There are divided opinions about the impact of cancel culture on the public debate. Some scholars define cancel and call-out culture on one hand as political tools that promote public debate and that can help access fundamental problems such as racism and sexism. On the other hand, the phenomena are defined as threats to democracy as the resurrection that arises when these phenomena are exercised can draw attention away from more important and more acute societal issues. Furthermore, the results show that cancel culture depends on a cross-platform engagement. Since the majority of the articles examine Twitter, this indicates that more studies need to be conducted to fully understand how cancel culture works.

This thesis explores the implications of René Girard’s mimetic theory on Genesis 1 and 2 in the Old Testament. It tests the extent to which Genesis 1 and 2 are structured sacrificially or mythically as outlined by Girard. René Girard’s theory is summarized and clarified as to how the theory can be applied to biblical texts. In addition, Girard’s theory is explained in the context of theory-making in late modernity, and critiques of Girard from biblical, anthropological, sociological, and theological perspectives are addressed. A sacrificial structure is explored in Genesis and Exodus that informs the exegesis of Genesis 1 and 2. The critical elements in Girard’s scapegoat mechanism—acquisitive desire leading to rivalry, crisis, and ultimately to an expulsion—are examined in the expulsion of the Hebrews from Egypt (Exodus 1) and the expulsions of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis (Gen 12-21). A particular pattern takes shape that structures the narratives in the Pentateuch. An exegesis of Israel’s narrative of origins in Genesis 1 and 2 follows, incorporating Girard’s theoretical insights with higher critical methods conventionally employed to the Old Testament. The thesis discovers striking parallels with Israel’s narrative of origins. They are indeed sacrificially structured, but they also interrogate that structure and describe an alternative sacrificial response. The sacrifice that Yahweh instigates dismantles the mythical structure even as it moves through the sequence. The thesis concludes with a validation of Girard’s theory and explains how Girard’s theory can be useful to the current exegetical tasks. / Biblical and Ancient studies / D. Th. (Old Testament)

This thesis explores the implications of René Girard’s mimetic theory on Genesis 1 and 2 in the Old Testament. It tests the extent to which Genesis 1 and 2 are structured sacrificially or mythically as outlined by Girard. René Girard’s theory is summarized and clarified as to how the theory can be applied to biblical texts. In addition, Girard’s theory is explained in the context of theory-making in late modernity, and critiques of Girard from biblical, anthropological, sociological, and theological perspectives are addressed. A sacrificial structure is explored in Genesis and Exodus that informs the exegesis of Genesis 1 and 2. The critical elements in Girard’s scapegoat mechanism—acquisitive desire leading to rivalry, crisis, and ultimately to an expulsion—are examined in the expulsion of the Hebrews from Egypt (Exodus 1) and the expulsions of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis (Gen 12-21). A particular pattern takes shape that structures the narratives in the Pentateuch. An exegesis of Israel’s narrative of origins in Genesis 1 and 2 follows, incorporating Girard’s theoretical insights with higher critical methods conventionally employed to the Old Testament. The thesis discovers striking parallels with Israel’s narrative of origins. They are indeed sacrificially structured, but they also interrogate that structure and describe an alternative sacrificial response. The sacrifice that Yahweh instigates dismantles the mythical structure even as it moves through the sequence. The thesis concludes with a validation of Girard’s theory and explains how Girard’s theory can be useful to the current exegetical tasks. / Biblical and Ancient studies / D. Th. (Old Testament)