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This book breaks new ground in the field of public theology by constructing a public theology which is built on interwoven cultural and Christian values. Writing from the Oceanian context (Samoa), Ah Siu-Maliko unpacks the complementary Samoan and Christian core values of service, respect, dialogue, love, and justice as the foundation for a values-centered response to the social realities confronting Oceania. Drawing on the indigenous research paradigm known as talanoa, the author grounds the public theology that emerges in extensive interviews with 75 Samoans from all walks of life-the "public" who are the subjects of public theology. The resulting framework is then applied to a specific social problem-the crisis of violence against women in Samoa. This pioneering contribution to public theology discourse opens up possibilities for similar contextual approaches to public theology not only across Oceania but around the world.
List of contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Prologue: Framing the Study
Chapter 1:Public Theology
Chapter 2The Samoan Context
Chapter 3Interwoven Strands of Fa'asamoa
Chapter 4Listening to 'the Public': A Talanoa Approach to Field Research
Chapter 5Talanoa about Aga Tausili (Values)
Chapter 6Talanoa about Public Theology
Chapter 7The Contours of a Samoan Values-Centered Public Theology
Chapter 8Case Study for a Samoan Public Theology: Domestic Violence
Epilogue
Bibliography
About the Author
About the author
Mercy Ah Siu-Maliko is lecturer in theology at Piula Theological College in Samoa and a research affiliate at the Centre for Theology and Public Issues of the University of Otago in New Zealand.
