Tia’s Comments (group member since Oct 10, 2017)

Tia’s comments from the Dangerous Territory Discussion Group group.

Gabrielle--just had to pop back to this discussion to say thanks for the Orientalism recommendation. Grabbed a copy and have been working my way through ever so slowly. So much to consider there. A related interesting discussion would be the themes of orientalism present in the types of evangelical literature that influenced many Western missionaries in their youth (I'm thinking Chronicles of Narnia, which I love, but in hindsight can see some stereotypes embedded there, especially in The Horse and His Boy (incidentally my favorite of the Chronicles!))

Also--a thought on Poisonwood Bible. An excellent book and useful critique of missions, but I thought it might have been more powerful if the missionary father character did not go quite so crazy. Sometimes patronizing in missions is most toxic when it is subtle. Nathan Price's over-the-top antics are obviously repulsive, but more complex attitudes and motives are more difficult to call out and repair (even in oneself).

Gabrielle, thanks for those recommendations; I need to read Said's work. Two missions critiques come to mind, though they are not literary examples. Steve Saint's Great Omission has some very useful thoughts, especially for those of us who grew up steeped in the legendary story of his father. And Reformation in Foreign Missions is a little quirky and sometimes defensive, but I think many of Finley's points are valid nonetheless. Also, Why America Misunderstands the World, by a former CIA analyst, is political, but I think some of his insights can be applied to missions thought as well.