Posts Tagged ‘Anthropology’

The careful choreography of Australia’s plenary

Thursday, November 11th, 2021
Australia's plenary

The First Assembly of Australia’s Plenary Council held few surprises. The program made sure of it. Proceedings were carefully choreographed and the agenda was deliberately anodyne. It took several days before participants found their feet. The ‘deep listening’ process of scripture reflection and sharing in small groups did engender a spirit of collegiality. At the Read more

Boys teach boys to be boys

Friday, June 13th, 2014

What makes a male child become a “boy,” as we understand that concept socially? In her new book, When Boys Become Boys, Judy Y. Chu reports on her two-year study in which she followed a group of boys from pre-kindergarten through first grade. She concluded that most of what we think of as “boy” behaviour isn’t Read more

Sweet charity

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014

New Zealanders rightly refuse to be awed by wealth. But just as we condemn the excesses of capitalism, so we should give credit to those who selflessly put their money to good use. They are opposite sides of the same coin. In any case, philanthropy is not the preserve of the very rich. On the Read more