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The commandment to honour one's father and mother is not limited to honouring parents while they are living. In Zulu culture, for both the traditionalist and Christian Zulu, honouring parents, whether alive or dead, is to relate to them with great respect. Unfortunately, this respect for the ancestors has been misunderstood by many and labeled as "worship" or, more recently, as "veneration". Affixing a religious connotation ("worship", etc.) to the relationship led to the expectation that Zulu Christians would reject their ancestors and all the rites and practices associated with them. In spite of injunctions from the Church, a marked shift is occurring among Zulu Christians as many reincorporate their ancestors into their family process. This dissertation, an exploratory study, addresses this process of reincorporation by offering a new, non-religious interpretation of the relationship. Historically, the Zulu have sought and welcomed the presence of the ancestors during stressful family transitions such as marriage, birth, puberty and death. If the Church focused on the increased anxiety and destabilization associated with these family transitions, new insights could be gained into the functional importance of the ancestors (as anxiety binders) in the family process. The application of Bowen theory, a new paradigm for practical theology, to the research data provides new perspectives and understanding into the functional importance of the ancestors for Zulu families. Central to Bowen theory is the concept of the family as an emotional unit that includes all generations, including the ancestors. This concept correlates closely with the Zulu understanding of kinship. The concepts of multigenerational transmission process and triangulation in Bowen theory offer effective theoretical bases for interpreting the ongoing relationship Zulu families have with their ancestors. This dissertation critiques certain Church practices and offers a practical theological response that can inform and enrich the Church's pastoral care. By developing a practical theology of relationships'one informed by Bowen theory, Scripture and the traditions of the Church'the Church can assist Zulu Christians pastorally as they reincorporate their ancestors into their family process. / Practical Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

Summaries in German and English / This thesis is a missiological case study analysing the reasons for conversions to Islam and Christianity among Kyrgyz people in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz people have a rich religious heritage with a history of more than 2,200 years. The uprooting of religion and the atheistic indoctrination by the Soviet government created a religious vacuum after the breakdown of the Soviet Union and caused a revival of religious receptivity in the society. Renewed receptivity to religion in the newly established sovereign Kyrgyzstan was followed by a rise in religious activity of Muslims and Christians beginning in the late 20th century. In only 15 years the number of mosques rose from 39 to 1,600 and the number of professing Christians increased from a few dozen to more than 7,000. This change between 1990 and 2005 developed in three stages through religious instability, an increase in missionary activity and the posturing of religious ideology during the government’s democratization process. A research of individual conversions produced complex results. Muslims were more attune to traditional religious thinking than were Christians. Most Muslims committed themselves to Islam because of their ancestral heritage. The secularization of society facilitated the Kyrgyz to convert to Christianity and turn to Christ due to a crisis in personal identity. Among Christians, conversions were primarily affected by relatives and friends persuading them through testimony and example. Most Kyrgyz becoming Muslims were significantly influenced by their parents. Faith in the existence of God was the basic prerequisite for both Muslim and Christian commitment to their respective beliefs. For Muslims it meant to obey the commandments of Allah, but Christians were led to confession of sins and to conversion. Changes in lifestyles and mindsets Muslims traced back to the Islamic religious tradition. For Christians, lives were affected through a relationship to Jesus Christ. / Die vorliegende Thesis ist eine missiologische Fallstudie, die die Gruinde der Hinwendung der Kyrgyzen in der post-sovietischen Zeit zum Islam und Christentum untersucht. Die Kyrgyzen haben ein reiches religioses Erbe einer uber 2200 jahrigen Geschichte. Doch mit der religiosen, Entwurzelung und der atheistischen Indoktrination durch die Sovietregierung entwickelte sich nach dem Zusammenbruch der Sovietunion ein religioses ,Vakuum" und bewirkten ein Wiedererwachen der religiosen Rezeptivitat in der Gesellschaft. Aufgrund der neuen religiosen Rahmenbedingungen in dem seit 1991 souveranen Kyrgyzstan folgte vonseiten der Muslime und Christen ein starker Anstieg religioser Aktivitaten. In nur 15 Jahren stieg die Anzahl der registrierten Moscheen von 39 auf uber 1600 und die Anzahl der Christen im gleichen Zeitraum von ein paar Dutzend auf uber 7000. Diese Entwicklung verlief im Zeitraum von 1990 bis 2005 in drei Abschnitten und war gekennzeichnet von anfanglichen religiosen Aufbruchen, einer Zunahme missionarischer Aktivitaten und einer religiosen Positionierung im Demokratiesierungsprozess. Die Untersuchung der individuell erlebten Hinwendungen brachte vielschichtige Ergebnisse hervor. So war der farmiliare Hintergrund der Muslime im allgemeinen religioser als der der Christen. Die meisten Muslime bekannten sich aufgrund ihrer Abstammung zum Islam. Die Sakularisierung der Familien begunstigte die Hinwendung der Kyrgyzen zum Christentum, die sich vor allem aufgrund einer existenziellen Auseinandersetzung zu Jesus wandten. Bei Christen waren es vor allem Verwandte und Freunde, die mit Worten und Leben auf Jesus hinwiesen, bei Muslimen die Eltern. Sowohl bei Muslimen als auch Christen war der Glaube an die Exitenz Gottes die wesentliche Vorraussetzung, wobei dies die Muslime zur Befolgung der Gebote Allahs, Christen zur Sundenerkenntnis und einer Bekehrung bewegte. Eine Lebens- und Sinnesanderung fuhrten Muslime auf den Islam und Christen auf ihre Beziehung zu Jesus Christus zuruck. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

This dissertation aims at finding out the religious significance of Basotho ritual practices at births, weddings and funerals in Lesotho. The researcher combines literature review of scholars who have studied the Basotho socio-cultural life, with personal field study through dissemination of questionnaires, interviews and personal observations. Through this approach he finds out the various ritual practices that dot the Basotho life through the rites of passage, and then studies their religiousness in terms of traditional beliefs. He also finds out how these ritual practices have persisted in the face of Christian influence and western education, and how far they have been influenced. There is also an attempt to look into the importance of ancestor veneration in connection with Basotho beliefs and practices. The study reveals that the religious connotation of the ritual practices lies in how people seek transcendental meaning to life through the ritual practices. / Religious Studies & Arabic / M.A. (Religious Studies)

German text / Die vorliegende wissenschaftliche Arbeit befasst sich mit den amaZioni, die den größten Teil der südafrikanischen AIC-Bewegung („African Independent/Indigenous/Initiated Churches“) ausmachen. Für die meisten Theologen stellen die amaZioni eine synkretistische christliche Kirchenbewegung dar, die in ihren Ritualen und Gottesdienstformen starke Einflüsse von traditionellen afrikanischen Religionen (ATR) aufweist. Nicht desto trotz öffnen sich viele der amaZioni-Kirchen gegenüber biblischer Lehre durch Missionare. Um eine solide Grundlage für die Missionsarbeit zu schaffen, befasst sich die vorgeschlagene Arbeit damit, wichtige Bedürfnisse der amaZioni zu erforschen, so dass diese als Anknüpfungspunkte für die weitere Evangeliumsverkündigung genutzt werden können. / The proposed research examines the needs of the amaZioni, who are part of the South African AIC-movement. The amaZioni, as one of the largest religious groups in South Africa, are viewed by most theologicans as syncretistic christian churches. It is obvious that their common believe system as well as their rituals show a strong influence of african traditional religions (ATR). But nevertheless, many of the members of the Zion-churches are opening up for bible teaching provided by missionaries. In order to establish a solid base for the future mission work the proposed research focuses on finding out the amaZioni's needs, so that this needs can be used as reference points in the endeavour of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the missionaries. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Ethnographic collections in western museums such as the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) carry many meanings, but by definition, they represent an intercultural encounter. This history of this encounter is often lost, overlooked, or obscured, and yet it has bearing on how the objects in the collection have been interpreted and understood. This thesis uncovers the hidden history of one particular collection in the RAMM and examines the multiple meanings that have been attributed to the objects in the collection over time. The Richard Dennett Collection was made in Africa in the years when European powers began to colonise the Congo basin. Richard Edward Dennett (1857-1921) worked as a trader in the Lower Congo between 1879 and 1902. The collection was accessioned by the RAMM in 1889. The research contextualises the collection by making a close analysis of primary source material which was produced by the collector and by his contemporaries, and includes publications, correspondence, photographs and illustrations which have been studied in museums and archives in Europe and North America. Dennett was personally involved with key events in the colonial history of this part of Africa but he also studied the indigenous BaKongo community, recording his observations about their political and material culture. As a result he became involved in the institutions of anthropology and folklore in Britain which were attempting to explain, classify and interpret such cultures. Through examining Dennett’s history this research has been able to explore the Congo context, the indigenous society, and those European institutions which collected and interpreted BaKongo collections. The research has added considerably to the museum’s knowledge about this collection and its collector, and the study responds to the practical imperative implicit in a Collaborative Doctoral Project, by proposing a small temporary exhibition in the RAMM to explore these histories and meanings. In making this proposal the research considers the current curatorial debate concerning responsible approaches to colonial collections, and assesses some of the strategies that are being employed in museums today.

1 Michal Vázal: The Confucian Ideal of Harmonious Community according to the Norms of the Wu Lineage from Mingzhou Abstract Abstract: This paper aims to characterize the structure and values produced by rituals in a kinship community, and how these characteristics subsequently helped to shape a harmoniously working community and its ideological relationship with the state in terms of local governance. The rituals in question are partially confined in time and place, as they are observed on one particular community, and are examined only in the extent of the primary source named "The Norms and Rituals of the Wu Lineage of Mingzhou" (Mingzhou Wu Shi Jiadian) - a ritual manual authored mainly by Wu Di (died 1736) from the village of Mingzhou, which belonged to the Huizhou prefecture (the south of the present day Anhui province). On the other hand, this text is largely based on Zhu Xi's "Family Rituals" (Jiali) which were viewed across the country as the ritual standard. The most essential rituals used to govern the lineage were coming of age ritual, wedding rituals, funeral rituals and sacrifices to ancestors. A unifying principle behind the structure and values these rituals created was seniority. The lineage structure was created mainly by the system in which the branches of firstborn sons were superiors to...

Kia mau ki te rangatiratanga o te Iwi o Hauraki Just as the whakataukī explains Hold fast to the power and authority of the Hauraki tribes the focus of this study is to examine and evaluate the impact of Te Ao Pākehā on Pare Hauraki lands and Tīkapa Moana under the mana of Pare Hauraki Māori and Pare Hauraki tikanga. The iwi of Pare Hauraki have land claims through the, (Wai 100) and the Hauraki Māori Trust Board, before the Waitangi Tribunal highlighting whenua issues and their impact on Pare Hauraki iwi. Also relevant is the foreshore and seabed issue which is documented leading on to the infamous Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004, (for Māori anyway), sparking widespread opposition by Māori throughout the country, and other supportive non-Māori groups because of the issue concerning Māori kaitiiakitanga and guardianship roles. This investigation will commence by outlining the histories of discovery and settlement of Pare Hauraki, the concept of mana-whenua/mana-moana as it applies to Pare Hauraki Māori and our tikanga, and then to subsequent issues leading to land alienation of the early 19th to late 20th cenutries and then to the foreshore issue of the early 21st Century. This research will include information showing that before 1840 to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and thereafter that Pākehā and various Crown agents, through legislation claimed the rights to the lands, waterways and oceanic areas under the kaitiakitanga of my tupuna of Pare Hauraki. Tupuna and other iwi members have expressed their disgust seeing the mana of their traditional lands, waterways, oceanic areas and kaitiaki roles slipping away from them through these activities. Therefore, this thesis is a response to those issues and the impact on (a), Māori as a people, and our tikanga Māori and (b), Pare Hauraki Māori as the kaitiaki/guardians of the Pare Hauraki rohe/territory in accordance with tikanga Māori, and the significance of the responsibilities which arise out of the Māori concepts of kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga and rangatiratanga.

本文以「彝族的源流史詩」做為研究對象，透過這個研究，然後更進一步重新省視「彝族」能否歸類為一個「民族」的民族理論上的根本概念。 一、Approche: 文獻大彙整與地圖套疊 源流史詩，內容著重在神話、英雄、族源、遷徙、祭祀等等，其內容非娛樂性質，更因演唱的場域（年節祭祀、喪禮）而有其莊嚴性，也能得到群體的認同。本論文選用源流史詩文本來觀察與解釋彝族，就是基於相同民族應該會有共同的文本，產生共同的感受，包括「創世」的哲學觀、「族源」的歷史認同、「祭祀」的宗教經驗。 首先，從零散文獻裡整理出108篇的文本，並加以體系化。這種體系化，對於目前的民族學/人類學的田野觀察，或文學史/民族史的整體敘述，都是更為宏觀的整合。其次，本論文共繪製21張地圖，並歸納三種套疊形式，讓史詩文本的呈現，多了一項「空間」的概念，製造與彝族的「語言」和「支系」相遇的「空間」，讓我們有機會可以在空間中尋找三者關係的意義，這是前人研究上未能釐清的概念。 三個物件套疊圖：分別是「彝族支系VS六語別VS創世史詩分佈圖」、「彝族支系VS六語別VS創世史詩三大敘事系統分佈圖」、「彝族族源史詩VS六語別VS六祖分支分佈圖」。我們可以看到北部彝語、東部彝語的作品、語言、支系三者可以重疊，但在雲南這三者套疊後，顯得凌亂無法重疊。造成三張圖無法套疊，支系的複雜應該是主因，反映出作品、語言的歸屬問題，而這個問題其實就是本論文想探討的彝族究竟是「一個民族有多個支系」，還是「一個民族集團有多個民族」？ 二、源流史詩的價值與意義 源流史詩包括創世史詩、族源史詩、祭祀史詩三種。它們都反映出彝族祖靈崇拜的宗教根底，也跟民族史緊扣相連。本論文依據108篇的源流史詩作品，做全面性體系化的整理。 （一）創世史詩分成三大敘事系統 本文以自創「情節板塊」的單位來分析39篇創世史詩文本，據此，劃分三個具有特色的敘事的傳統：四川的勒俄特衣系統、貴州的宇宙生成變化系統、雲南的換人種系統。在彝族的多元敘事裡，看到許多不一樣的風格與特色，對一個民族而言，要同時具備所有的特色，誠屬困難。創世史詩的三種敘事系統，可以推論，彝族至少可以再區分三個不同的民族。 （二）族源史詩是以家族史為中心 彝族族源史詩是建立在彝族因父子連名制度而形成的譜系基礎上，由畢摩編纂記錄而產生的作品。整理確定的21篇的族源史詩，集中分佈在貴州畢節與雲南武定。族源史詩以六祖分支故事為核心，在雲南可能受到傳播的影響，故事不夠完整而呈現凌亂的狀況。從集中發展的角度來看，篤慕與六祖分支的故事，是東部彝語區獨有的文本。本文以當代7本彝族史著作來檢驗，可以看出「篤慕與六祖」已經脫離「傳說」而蛻變成「歷史」的一部份。 （三）祭祀長詩充分展現祖靈信仰 彝族宗教類的典籍文獻的重心是在祭經，祭經的內容以祭祀為主，祭祀長詩即是祭經的內容。全面整理後，確定有64篇的祭祀長詩，其中「指路經」文本佔多數，共有36篇。本文試圖從「祖靈觀」、「喪禮葬儀」、「祭祀」三個面向來看各語別彝族之間的差異性？筆者認為，靈魂不滅的觀念是全族所共有的，返祖意識北部彝語區最明顯，東部彝語區只有部分地方有，其他彝語區的返祖意識幾乎沒有，但是從部分儀式內容來看，還保留返祖意識的痕跡。 三、「彝族」傾向為由「多民族」組成的一個「民族集團」 創世史詩的三套疊地圖，證明彝族的支系與語言的關係混亂，因此作品是無法和支系對應。其中最複雜的地區在雲南，北部彝語的四川與東部彝語的貴州，還能產生對應的關係。 族源史詩的三套疊地圖的案例，卻是作品與支系與語言可以三者對應。檢驗結果，可以對應的關係是在東部彝語區的諾蘇、納蘇支系的彝族，其他語別區並沒有族源史詩作品，進而提出該支系已發展為彝族的主體支系，其家族史也成為彝族民族史的主要依據。 祭祀長詩則是在時間的觀念中去釐清彝族的歷史認同記憶，透過「父子連名」與「指路經」的連結，以及祖靈信仰的宗教觀，藉由畢摩的穿針引線，彝族的支系們似乎又可以在「宗教」的影響下，連結在一起。 源流史詩展現民族的歷史觀，足以反映及代表民族的思維，因此源流史詩可以說是文學史與民族史交集下的結晶。因此，筆者將「源流史詩」做為檢驗「彝族」的一種標準。經過這麼多層的討論後，證據是傾向「彝族」是「由多民族組成的一個民族集團」而非「擁有眾多支系的一個民族」。這一個結論，可以讓我們重新拿來檢驗現有的關於「彝族」的「民族史」與「文學史」，同時可以用來檢驗「彝族民族識別」之後的「彝族認同」過程。 / The focus of the thesis is on the “epics of Yi’s origin” By studying them, we may have a closer examination of whether the Yi can be categorized as one “ethnos.” A. The approach: Compiling documents and putting maps together The contents of an ethnos’ epics of origin are mainly legends, heroes, ethnic origin, immigration and ancestor veneration, which are not entertaining. The occasions to chant the epics, such as seasonal worshiping and funerals, make the epics solemn. That lets a group of people identify themselves with their own epics. The thesis observes and explains Yi via its epics of origin since people of a same ethnos are supposed to have the same texts which make them feel the same. The texts include the philosophy view of “creation,” identification with the history of one’s “ethnic origin,” and religious experience of “ancestor veneration.” First, I reorganized 108 epics out of scattered documents and systemize them. Both for ethnological or anthropologic field observations and for the overall description of an ethnos’ history of literature or ethnohistory, the systemization is of broader consolidation. Second, the thesis produces 21 maps and puts them together in three map overlay modes. That adds the concept of “space” to the presentation of the epics and creates the “space” in which Yi’s “language varieties” and “branches” can meet, letting us able to search for the meanings of the relationships among the three – epics, language varieties, and branches – in the space. These are what the forerunners on the study haven’t given any definition for. The three map overlay modes are “Yi’s branches vs six language varieties vs distribution of Yi’s epics of creation,” “Yi’s branches vs six language varieties vs distribution of three main narrative systems of Yi’s epics of creation,” and “Yi’s epics of ethnic origin vs six language varieties vs distribution of the branches from the six forefathers.” We can see the distributions of the epics, language varieties and branches of Northern Yi and Eastern Yi match. But in Yunnan, the result of map overlay appears in a state of disarray. The main cause may be Yi’s branches in Yunnan are complicated, which underlines the belonging issues in the epics and language varieties. Actually, these issues are something the thesis wants to explore to find out if Yi is “an ethnos with many branches” or “an ethnic group made up of several ethnos.” B. The values of the epics of Yi’s origin and history: The epics of Yi’s origin and history can be categorized into epics of creation, epics of ethnic origin, and epics for ancestor veneration. All of them reflect Yi’s religion based on worshiping ancestral spirits and also connect closely with the history of Yi. The thesis tries to study 108 epics of Yi’s origin systematically. (a) Yi’s epics of creation can be divided into three narrative systems. With the self-made “scenario plates” units, I analyze 39 epics of creation and categorize them into three narrative systems – the Lewo Teyi System in Sichuan, the System of the Birth and Changes of the Universe in Guezhou, and the System of Changing Human Races in Yunnan. In Yi’s multi narrative systems, we can see many different styles and features. It’s very rare for an ethnos to have all of the characteristics. Thus, we can conclude that Yi can at least be divided into three different ethnos. (b) Yi’s epics of ethnic origin are centered on family histories. Yi’s epics of ethnic origin which are based on Yi’s family pedigrees built on the patronymic linkage naming system are recorded and edited by bimos. There are 21 well-organized epics of ethnic origin which mainly distribute in Bijie, Guezhou and Wuding, Yunnan. The core of the epics is the branching story of the six ancestries. In Yunnan, the story is not complete and also in a state of disarray. It might be caused by the communication factor. In terms of centralized development, the story of Dumu and the branching of the six ancestries is exclusive in the Eastern Yi region. The thesis explores seven contemporary works on Yi’s history and finds out that “Dumu and Yi’s six forefathers” has departed from Yi’s “legendry” and transformed into part of Yi’s “history.” (c) Long poetry for ancestor veneration sufficiently presents Yi’s beliefs of ancestral spirits. A big chunk of Yi’s ancient religious books are those for remembering the dead whose contents are mainly expressing veneration in the form of long poetry. After reorganization, there are 64 long poems for expressing veneration and most of them (36 in total) are the chi lu ching, scripture of leading the road. The thesis tries to find the differences among the groups of Yi’s language varieties in the aspects of the “concept of ancestral spirits,” “funerary and burial customs,” and “ancestor veneration.” I think that the concept of the immortal soul is prevailing among the Yi. The idea of returning to the ancestry is particularly obvious in the Northern Yi region and can be found in part of the Eastern Yi region. The idea is hardly found in other Yi regions but the traces of the idea are left in part of the rites there. C. Yi is more like an “ethnic group” made up of “several ethnos.” The three sets of overlaid maps of Yi’s epics of creation prove the relationships among Yi’s branches and language varieties are in a state of disarray, causing the epics not really match with the branches. The most complicated area is Yunnan. On the other hand, the epics and branches have some sort of correlation in Sichuan of Northern Yi and Guezhou of Eastern Yi. As for Yi’s epics of ethnic origin, the three sets of overlaid maps show that the epics, branches, and language varieties are related. The situation can be seen in Nori and Nasu groups of Eastern Yi. However, there isn’t any epic of ethnic origin in other language variety regions. Thus I assume Nori and Nasu groups have become main groups of Yi and their family histories have thus become important parts of Yi’s ethnohistory. Long poetry for ancestor veneration aims to clarify the common historical memories of the Yi in terms of the concept of time. Via the linking of the patronymic linkage naming system and the chi lu ching, based on the religious concept of ancestral spirits, and with the help of bimos, Yi’s branches seem to connect together under the influence of “religion.” An ethnos’ epics of origin demonstrate the historical view of the ethnos and represent the thoughts of the ethnos. Therefore, epics of origin of an ethnos can be regarded as something bred by the ethnos’ history of literature and its ethnohistory. Thus, I use “epics of ethnic origin and history” as a criterion to explore “Yi.” Through multi analyses, it is obvious that Yi is “an ethnic group made up of several ethnos” rather than “an ethnos with many branches.” This conclusion can be used to re-examine the existing issues on Yi’s ethnohistory and its history of literature and to review the ethnic identification process of the Yi after Yi was certified as an ethnos.

In this thesis, the main objects of study are probability measures on the isomorphism classes of countable, connected rooted graphs. An important class of such measures is formed by unimodular measures, which satisfy a certain equation, sometimes referred to as the intrinsic mass transport principle. The so-called law of a finite graph is an example of a unimodular measure. We say that a measure is sustained by a countable graph if the set of rooted connected components of the graph has full measure. We demonstrate several new results involving sustained unimodular measures, and provide thorough arguments for known ones. In particular, we give a criterion for unimodularity on connected graphs, deduce that connected graphs sustain at most one unimodular measure, and prove that unimodular measures sustained by disconnected graphs are convex combinations. Furthermore, we discuss weak limits of laws of finite graphs, and construct counterexamples to seemingly reasonable conjectures.