Globalization and Marginalization Discussion Guide

7/28/2019 Globalization and Marginalization Discussion Guide

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Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian J esuits, J uly 2007.

LoyolaInstitute

A centre for formation & leadership

PO Box 1985North Sydney NSW 2059

Tel +61 2 8918 4152 Fax +61 2 9954 1682Email [email protected]

www.loyola.org.au

Globalization & Marginalization:Discussion Guide to the Jesuit Task Force Report

Introduction

The report Globalization & Marginalization: OurGlobal Aposto lic Response was prepared by aninternational task force convened by the JesuitsInternational Social Justice Secretariat. It is aninvitation to reflect and act together on the processesof globalization and marginalization.

The Taskforce was made up of eight Jesuits fromdifferent regions. They analyzed the stories of Jesuitactivities from all over the world, and each one

prepared a report on the process of globalization andmarginalization in their own region. Together theysynthesized this material into a 55 page report whichwas issued in February 2006 and included theregional reports as appendices.

The members of the Task Force had differentexperiences of globalization and they saw thingsdifferently from one another. The report honours thisdiversity while seeking to discern together concretestrategies and tactics for response.

The full report is available at

http://www.sjweb.info/documents/sjs/docs/GlobMarg_ENG.pdf

This summary and discussion guide is intended tointroduce people to the key ideas in the report andencourage action in response to the challenges that itraises.

Understanding Globalization

Globalization

Globalization is a phenomenon that expands

interconnectedness in the world. In some ways thisis a very old dynamic and in other ways thephenomenon is new.

Globalization is not just an economic phenomenon -it also affects cultural, political, social, legal andreligious life. These aspects of globalization interactwith each other and there are feedback loopsbetween them. These effects may be unexpectedand contradictory.

Experiences of globalization differ. Ourgeographical, cultural, political, economic and social

location will influence whether we see globalizationas mainly an opportunity or mainly a threat. Thesame person may experience both positive andnegative aspects of globalization.

Some of the tensions produced by the process ofglobalization identified by the Task Force include:

1. Openness and universality versus neo-colonialism and imperialism;

2. The expanded freedom of the individualversus the resurgence of new communitarianprojects;

3. The tendency to homogenize culturesversus the strong emergence of individualand group-identities;

4. Consumerism versus sustainabledevelopment;

5. Local versus global citizenship;6. A guarded attempt to downplay institutional

religion versus the rise of neo-conservativereligious expressions.

Marginalization & Exclus ion

Marginalization is a process denying opportunitiesand outcomes to those living on the margins andenhancing the opportunities and outcomes of thosewho are at the centre. Marginalization combinesdiscrimination and social exclusion. It offends humandignity and it denies human rights, especially theright to live effectively as equal citizens.

Exclusion keeps segments of the population out ofsocial interaction, or casts them out from it. Thosewho are at the centre have benefited fromglobalization, but those who are already marginalizedare often left further behind.

What is New About Globalization Today?

Scale & IntensityHuman interconnectedness has deepened andwidened. Interconnections now extend to the wholeearth, penetrating institutions and the lives ofindividuals in a more intense way than before.

FluidityTraditional relationships and ways of makingmeaning are now being constantly reshaped; as a

result cultural hybridization and relativism are rising.
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While borders are becoming more fluid for financialcapital, they are hardening for people, and new formsof xenophobia, casteism and racism are emerging.

Structures & HubsNew webs of relationships and structures areoverlaid upon traditional social structures, leading tomore complex, interrelated structures. New patterns

of interaction lead to new rules of the game.

New communities of relationships are maintained bynew channels which transfer information andknowledge. Hubs in these communication channelscan configure and reconfigure the way in whichknowledge, meaning and power are transmitted. Themarginalized are pushed to, or beyond, the edges ofthis web of relationships.

For Discussion:

Try to imagine yourself in the position ofthe poorest and most marginalizedperson in your community. What doesglobalization look like, sound like, andfeel like from this position?

How do you personally experienceglobalization? Does your experienceinclude both positive and negativedimensions?

What are the positive and negative

impacts of globalization in your parish,school, community or ministry? Whichgroups in your parish, school,community or ministry share in thebenefits? Which groups carry theburdens? Which groups are left out?

Can you identify cases where increasedinterconnectedness has reducedmarginalization?

What are the most urgent problemsraised by globalization in your parish,school, community or ministry?

What are the most exciting positivepossibilities flowing from globalizationfor your parish, school, community orministry?

Reflecting on our Globalizing &Marginalizing World

Guiding Principles

In the light of the material gathered from the differentregions, the Task Force settled on four principles toguide their discernment. These principles aredescribed in the table below together withcorresponding evils to be avoided.

Guiding PrinciplesPrinciples Evils to Avoid

Being as SubjectSubjecthood of all, includingthe marginalized, co-responsibility, based onhuman dignity.

Paternalism, colonialism,arrogance, dependence,uninhibited individualism.

Inclusive relationsInclusion of all, especiallythe other, the different,the excluded and the otherspecies on earth.

Fundamentalism, narrownationalism, xenophobia /racism, chauvinism, genderexclusion, casteism /ethnicity, environmentalexploitation anddegradation, demonizingthe powerful.

TransformingRelationships

Transformation and healingfrom within to achievepeace and reconciliation,based on justice, security,dignity, equality, dialogue,respect (for faith, culture,religions).

Understanding thedimensions (faith, justice,inculturation, and inter-religious dialogue) of our

J esuit charismindependently, living indisharmony, conflict andwar, substitution of ethicsand politics with economics.

Acting in SynergyLooking for synergies andcreating alternatives forunderstanding / acting/being together / teams /partnership /accompaniment / liturgiesand symbolic actions.

Individualistic spirituality,relying on individual-drivenpioneering efforts,maintaining unconnectedsectoral (pastoral,educational, social)approaches, destructivecompetition / unnecessaryduplicating action.

Adapted from Box 1, Chapter 2, p 23.

Challenges for Discernment

The Logic of the MarketThe logic of the market - a set of ideas, practicesand institutional behaviours that absolutize profit andmake it the primary value of humankind has causedmuch suffering when allowed to dominate everyaspect of human life. For the sake of human dignityand the care of the environment, the logic of themarket must be kept in its place.

To work properly, markets need rich institutionalcontexts including a strong and organized civil


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society that can hold the State accountable. Faircompetition is only possible within an institutionalframework of cooperation, especially at theinternational level.

Discernment is required as we face new forms oftension between market and society.

Cultural Erosion & InclusionThe erosion of traditional cultures and religiousbeliefs is common in all regions of the world, butthere are also powerful reactions asserting ethnic,caste, linguistic, territorial, religious or politicalidentities. In both processes new identities arecreated and recreated.

In pluralist societies, cultural exclusion occurs when aperson or group isnt allowed to participate in societyin the way that others are allowed and encouraged todo, or when the one group in society deniesrecognition of a lifestyle that another group would

choose, for instance by insisting that members of thatgroup must live exactly like the dominant group.

We need to discern our attitudes to cultural change,and to reflect seriously on practical ways of upholdingcultural liberty in pluralist societies.

Violence & Conflict TransformationThere are many forms of violence that affect thequality of our mutual relationships. Violence leavesscars on both victims and perpetrators, and its effectsare difficult to eradicate.

When the real causes of violence are hidden andunrecognized, people often respond to conflict withfurther violence.

Our common discernment must address the questionof how to deal with violence, setting up mechanismsto prevent violence, and engaging all concernedparties in dialogue.

Unsustainable Environmental DegradationAbuse of the environment affects our life togetherand especially the lives of the poor and marginalized.

Current first world levels of consumption and use ofnatural resources cannot be replicated in all countriesof the world. Exercising self-restraint in consumptionand internalizing the environmental costs ofproduction are essential as a first step towards anew, sustainable way of living together.

Without common discernment of environmentaltensions, we risk overlooking an essential ingredientof our interconnectedness.

Politics & GovernanceThe new web of global interconnectedness can andhas been used to express solidarity, for example inthe campaigns to ban landmines and for theforgiveness of the unpayable international debt ofpoor countries.

Ongoing global economic and cultural processes

require that we all understand ourselves as worldcitizens, members of a global civil society. We neednew political institutions at the regional and globallevels so that the common good of humanity is takencare of in the emerging world.

We are called to create, with and for the poor,mechanisms for wider political participation in andcontrol of the political process, both at the nationaland global levels. We are called to discern the mostappropriate way to cooperate in empowering themarginalized to have a voice in decisions that affectour life together.

For Discussion:

The Task Force identifies fivechallenges for discernment. Which ofthese challenges is the most urgentchallenge for your parish, school,community or ministry? Which is themost important challenge?

Is your parish, school, community orministry currently responding to any ofthese challenges for discernment?How?

Choose one challenge. How might theguiding principles identified by the TaskForce help you to respond to thischallenge?

Do the principles suggest any particulardirection for response, or rule out anypotential ways of responding?

How do these principles relate to thefour key principles of Catholic Social

Teaching: human dignity; the commongood; subsidiarity; and solidarity?


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Jesuit Efforts in a Global World

Spirituality

The mystery of the Trinity reveals the essence ofGod as life-together, and so we too are called to beone in many, to include rather than exclude.

The Task Force notes that the three religious vows

promote a set of values, attitudes and behaviour aGospel culture which stands against the forces thatlead to marginalization. The values enshrined in thevows can also be lived by lay people.

Evangelical poverty expresses our solidarity with thepoor and is a counter cultural stand against a cultureof consumerism, affluence and waste.

The values behind the religious vow of chastity leadus to reject relationships that enslave and dominate,and the manipulation of human beings for personalsatisfaction. We seek instead to build

interconnectedness on the basis of dignity andrespect.

The ideal of obedience is an appeal to discern thewill of God rather than considering only our owninterest. It challenges excessive individualism andcalls us to be generous in making ourselves availablefor mission.

The logic of the Gospel is to be lived and shared withall those with whom we struggle to promote theReign of God. Solidarity can be understood as aform of reciprocity between God and human beingsthat is extended to relationships between humanbeings. We will work to develop communities ofsolidarity that are open to all who are committed tothe common good.

The Jesuit Charism

The J esuit mission can be seen as joining with othersto actively transform the situation to create a newglobal interconnectedness in solidarity. Seriousattention to the task of healing and reconciling will beneeded.

All J esuit ministries must be permeated by faith,based on justice, rooted in culture and open todialogue with other persons of goodwill.

A fear of uncertainty and diversity can lead peopleand institutions to become self-focused and inward.We must not let our faith become a purely individualexperience, turned in on itself.

We need to be very aware of the way in whichcultural and religious differences are blamed for deep

conflicts and often used to cover other, largereconomic and political conflicts.

Religious fundamentalism of different kinds haspolarized communities and whole countries.Fundamentalism shuns dialogue, and cultural andpolitical freedom. Through dialogue and openness todifference, we can find ways of reconciling the

autonomy of public life and the public character ofreligion.

Intellectual Li fe

Intellectual life is not just about objective knowledge,but also relating knowledge to reality, and the abilityto evaluate knowledge and its processes. It involvesthe capacity to integrate experience into largerframeworks, as well as the aesthetic and playfulaspects of life, and a certain intimacy with the wholereality.

More than ever, knowledge is power. Our intellectuallife must uncover, analyze and denounce the powerstructures based on knowledge and whichmarginalize millions of people.

Interconnectedness is at the heart of knowledgemanagement and so we need new paradigms andmethodologies. We need to work in teams usingmulti-, inter and trans-disciplinary approaches.

The Education MinistryThe logic of the market has turned quality education

into a profitable and marketable commodity. Weneed to develop a critical global perspective in thepeople we educate and in our educationalinstitutions.

The Task Force notes that the lack of synergy amongJ esuit educational institutions leaves them incapableof responding to the issues raised byinterconnectedness. The same lack of synergybetween universities and J esuit social centreshighlights the narrowness of the approaches we havepursued.

Challenges for Jesuit FormationThe Task Force asks whether current arrangementsfoster the formation of overly individualistic J esuitsand notes the need to foster the capacity to work inteams, the willingness to work with non-J esuits andin non-J esuit contexts. Efforts to introduce trans-disciplinarity, teamwork and critical thinking into thecurriculum must continue and expand.

The Task Force also questioned an over emphasison the academic, and the lack of accompaniment andconnection with the formal curriculum of experienceswith the poor. The lived experience of the


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international character of J esuit formation housesalso needs to be complemented with the treatment ofcultural identity and the experience of trans-culturalityat an academic level.

While younger J esuits are generally familiar with theinternet, there is a danger that they may becomeinsulated from the realities of suffering and

marginalization by living in virtual spaces.

Forming Ourselves into One Body

In recent years steps have been taken to make thegovernance of the Society of J esus truly global andyet rooted in the local situation. The Task Forcesees a need to go further in responding creativelyand concretely to the challenge that some problemsare global in nature and need global solutions.

Mission & GovernanceThe Task Force identified three principles for thedevelopment of governance:Flexibility - Governing structures need to be able tochange and adapt according to the needs of themission;Transparency- Adequate information about decisionmaking should be provided in a timely manner whileprotecting the privacy of individuals;Accountabil ity- We need criteria of accountabilityand evaluation and should be clear about processesand lines of accountability.

Discernment & Planning

The Task Force suggests that planning in the Societyof J esus cannot be effective if it simply reorders orre-names existing activities. Planning for missionneeds to form part of an Ignatian strategicdiscernment that allows the Society to put asidesome of the personal and institutional brakes thatlimit its mobility.

Partnership for MissionLay people and members of other religiouscongregations may share in the mission and works ofthe J esuits. They too are considered by the TaskForce to be apostolic subjects or J esuit Apostolic

Partners.

According to the Task Force, a J esuit ApostolicPartner:

1. Shares the same Ignatian vision, which needsto be interpreted and clearly defined in the lightof different cultures and religious experiences;and

2. Shares the same mission as defined explicitlyby our charism of being for, and with, themarginalized of this world and transformingcomplex structures of socio-cultural, economicand political domination.

Such partners share to varying degrees in J esuitmechanisms for responsibility and accountability.They should also be provided with adequate andgraded formation so that they share the J esuit visionand mission and are not marginalized within Jesuitefforts.

Being More Effective

The Task Force identified a need for moreprofessionalism and seriousness in planning formission at the provincial and regional levels. It alsosuggested that time bound projects focused onconcrete goals and undertaken in an inter-sectoralway would help to build more linkages amongdifferent sectors of ministry.

For Discussion:

Does your personal spirituality influenceyour own response to the phenomena ofglobalization and marginalization? If so, inwhat ways?

How might Ignatian spirituality influencethe responses of a person, group ororganization to globalization andmarginalization?

Describe the values, attitudes andbehaviour that you believe wouldconstitute a Gospel culture? How wouldthey influence the way in which your

family, parish, school, community,workplace or ministry might respond toglobalization?

What lessons, if any, do these reflectionson directions for the J esuits response toglobalization hold for other Church andcommunity groups?

What are the implications of globalizationfor how J esuit ministries should go about

o strategic planningo building partnershipso evaluating activities

o providing training andformation for personnel?


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New Global Apostolic Strategies

The Task Force identified six general strategies,made a series of specific recommendations for J esuitworks, and proposed a check-list for activities.

Global Strategies

The Task Force identified the following globalstrategies:1. Strengthen an individual and corporate

global outlook which is rooted in our localcommitments.

2. Adopt an inclusive approach which involvesall stakeholders, building alliances andbridges which provide spaces for interactionand dialogue.

3. Stress mutual accompaniment supporting thechoices of the marginalized in their struggles.

4. Explore the application of the Ignatianprinciple of communitarian discernment.

5. Promote publicly an overall ethical, humanand interior perspective.

6. Design structures of governance which equipus better to face the challenges ofglobalization and marginalization.

Specific Recommendations

In the area of spirituality the Task Force recommendsthat: the more communitarian aspects of religious

traditions be retrieved and revived we be more attentive to the transcendent the popular religiosity and religious traditions of

marginalized communities be explored andintegrated into our spirituality

procedures for common discernment bedeveloped.

In the area of intellectual life the Task Forcerecommends that: new theological and philosophical frameworks

that emphasize togetherness andinterdependence be developed

interrelgious dialogue reflect on fundamentalism the social ministries engage in research and

social advocacy on good governance, deviseglobal systems of checks and balances,empower the marginalized, and respect theintegrity of the earth

J esuits consider starting open universities whichare accessible to the excluded

More research be done on the interactionbetween communities and institutions

Researchers from J esuit universities work withothers to influence policy and institutions frominsideWe bui

A Check List for Partners in Mission

ld transversal communities of solidarityworking across ministry sectors.

volved in theider the

ission as a means of

2. will bet in the

3. dhe marginalized,

4. s,l is sustainable. If

5.your own.

religion not your

7.links the marginalized with decision

8. nsuits and their partners in mission

9.or a

For Discussion:

f six global strategies putsk Force. Which of these

trategy

r you? Why?

The Task Force encourages everyone inmission and works of the J esuits to consfollowing check list:

1. Espouse and cherish differences amongstpartners in maddressing divisions in our world.Presume that Gods self-revelationdisclosed in differences and not jusresolving of difference.Adopt one justice issue, inform yourself, anafter close contact with ttake some political action.Ask yourself, when you consume resourceif similar consumption by alit is not, ask yourself what you will do to putright your excessive consumption of limitedresources.Be an advocate for at least one culturedifferent from

6. Acquire an appreciative and advancedknowledge of at least oneown.Be involved with a community of solidaritywhichmakers through shared relationships withpartners in the mission and works of theJ esuits.Occasionally visit a community of insertiowhere J eshare the life of the marginalized.Ask your J esuit Province to establish anaccessible community of solidarity

community of insertion if you cannot find one.

Consider the set oforward by the Tastrategies attracts you the most? Which doyou find the least attractive? Why?

Choose one strategy. What action stepswould be needed to implement this sin your parish, school, community or

ministry? What projects or activities might beinvolved? Do any of the more specificrecommendations of the Task Force relate toyour strategy? Can you think of anyindicators that would help you to knowwhether your strategy was being effectivelyimplemented or not?

How many of the items in the check list canyou tick off?

Which item in the checklist is the mostchallenging fo

Globalization and Marginalization Discussion Guide

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