Anthropological Case Studies As Research Design For Intercultural Theology

Abstract

This article explores the suitability of anthropological Case Studies (CSs) as a research design for research related to intercultural theology. The introduction refers briefly to the crisis of modernity’s missiological paradigm and the emergence of contextual theologies and intercultural theology as responses. It subsequently focuses on the ambivalent historical relationship between anthropological research and theological endeavors and the current relevance of culture studies for theological research. The following section targets the characteristics and aims of CSs and their nature as a research design rather than a method, along with the nature of the cases, their types, and their selection criteria. It also evaluates the possibilities of CSs as a research design for intercultural theology with special attention to two “research styles”: action research and participatory action research. The main criticisms of the CS design (reliability, internal validity, and transferability) as well as the comparison issue among cases are explained. Finally, this describes how the conjunction of theological research and models from cultural studies transcends a purely practical approach, implying the epistemological and even ontological postulates that sustain both disciplines.