About the project

A concern raised by some scholars is that academics tend to use terms such as migrant, immigrant, migration, vulnerable, poor, refugee, and victim without any attempt to qualify what they mean by these terms. This has led some to question if the research data have yielded positive results and contributed to the discussion at all. While definitional issues loom large in social science research, theologians have also drawn attention to this “academic chaos” and called for a refinement of terminology. Taking these critiques and concerns about the use of migration terminology as a point of departure, my project will focus on theologies of migration that draw from social sciences and explore the experiential dimensions of migration. The main aim of my project is to provide a critical analysis of the use and role of migration terminology in theology of migration, and through this analysis advance theoretical reflections on the use of empirical material in contextual theologies. Thus, my project will explore how migration is understood as both sociological fact and theological event.

Background

MA in Theology and Mission, Fjellhaug International University College

Research group

MIGREL