Jehovah's Witnesses, endangered languages, and the globalized textual community

Barchas‐Lichtenstein, Jena

doi:10.1016/j.langcom.2014.05.006

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…JWs is an Abrahamic sect derived from the Bible Students Movement founded by Charles Taze Russel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1872. This religion is characterized by a very complex organization, and its practices are strongly centralized in order to control both affiliation/disaffiliation and conversion/deconversion (Barchas-Lichtenstein 2014;Chryssides 2016). The literature has considered JWs a problem, especially in the bioethics fields with respect to informed consent and the refusal of blood transfusions (Gohel et al 2005).…”

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confidence: 99%

Self-Appropriation between Social Mourning and Individuation: a Qualitative Study on Psychosocial Transition among Jehovah’s Witnesses

et al. 2019

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Loss and its associated grief are important elements of many adverse life events. The focus of this study is centred on a particular form of mourning: the affliction derived from the social identity loss caused by the disaffiliation with a religious sect. In postmodern society, this phenomenon needs to be better evaluated because it may be causing severe distress in an increasing number of people. The literature describes the stress caused by switching from one religious group to another, but less analysis has been done on the potential deleterious effects of the loss of social identity because of the breaking down of relationships with people within the original group. Following the grounded theory approach, 14 former Jehovah's Witnesses were interviewed with interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three main profiles emerged-born into the faith, converts to the faith, and inactive members-with different difficulties deriving from the loss of social identity and the relational network. The inquiry was focused on the effects of the identification versus individuation processes and also addressed the role of death anxiety. Results confirmed on the one hand a high level of distress that often caused death anxiety, alcoholism, panic attacks, and depression, as described in the literature. On the other hand, the importance of the individuation process emerged, following theologian Paul Tillich's concept of "courage of self-affirmation" and Bernard Lonergan's "self-appropriation," whose development occurs in three phases: de-identification and loss, grieving and crisis, and the work of grief and complete self-affirmation or self-appropriation. The usefulness of communicating these specific themes to a broad audience by enhancing community education through widespread spiritual counseling is also addressed.

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confidence: 99%

Self-Appropriation between Social Mourning and Individuation: a Qualitative Study on Psychosocial Transition among Jehovah’s Witnesses

et al. 2019

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“…Moreover, indigenous languages aid communities to participate actively in local government meetings, consultations, and decision-making processes. Here are several ways in which Indigenous languages promote inclusive participation (Barchas-Lichtenstein, 2013).…”

Section: Enhancing Local Governance Through Incorporating Indigenous ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging indigenous languages for efficient local government: an analysis in a South African context

Maswanganyi

2023

IJRBS

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South Africa is a diverse nation with a rich tapestry of indigenous languages spoken across its provinces. As the country continues its democratic journey, local government plays a pivotal role in ensuring service delivery, community engagement, and development. This article explores the potential of indigenous languages as a valuable resource for enhancing the efficiency of local government operations. Indigenous languages, often marginalised, hold a wealth of cultural, historical, and contextual knowledge that can be harnessed to improve governance, communication, and community engagement at the local level. This paper investigates the multifaceted benefits of incorporating indigenous languages into various aspects of local government activities. The paper also draws upon case studies on incorporating indigenous languages in municipalities for efficient communication.

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“…In fact, besides a few publications from the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania 2 (for example, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 1978, 1984, 2009) covering North America, I have only been able to find one unpublished paper written by a Jehovah’s Witness concerning First Nations Witnesses in Canada (Placid, 2008). Outside of Canada, I only found a thesis and an article by the same author concerning Indigenous Chontal speakers Witnesses from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico (Barchas-Lichtenstein, 2013, 2014). I have found nothing specifically about Jehovah’s Witnesses of Native American communities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding conversion to Jehovism among Indigenous peoples: The case of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg

Simard-Émond

2023

Social Compass

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Although present in Aboriginal communities since the early 1930s, Jehovism among Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States has not yet been the subject of any published ethnographic, sociological, or historical study. This article presents the result of the first ethnographic study with Jehovah’s Witnesses among Aboriginal peoples in Canada. From an online field of research spanning over a period of 10 months with Anishinabe (Algonquin) Witnesses from Kitigan Zibi (Outaouais, Quebec), I explore the motivations behind the decision to become a Jehovah’s Witness for the latter. I also show that the first conversions in Kitigan Zibi are mainly due to a dual historical context that created a fertile ground for conversion. Finally, I propose the concept of ‘small-scale conversion’ as another way to conceive the intergenerational transmission of religion.

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Jehovah's Witnesses, endangered languages, and the globalized textual community

Cited by 8 publications

References 15 publications

Self-Appropriation between Social Mourning and Individuation: a Qualitative Study on Psychosocial Transition among Jehovah’s Witnesses

Self-Appropriation between Social Mourning and Individuation: a Qualitative Study on Psychosocial Transition among Jehovah’s Witnesses

Leveraging indigenous languages for efficient local government: an analysis in a South African context

Understanding conversion to Jehovism among Indigenous peoples: The case of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg

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