Om prosjektet

«Reaction and Pro action in faith-based justice seeking practices» - A study of congregational social practice in The Salvation Army, Norway.

This project explores Salvation Army (TSA) congregational social practices as they encounter vulnerable individuals such as potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. This multiple case study´s purpose is to understand how systemic strategies, as well as a reflecting on faith and justice perspectives, can initiate a process of change to act with an increased focus on advocacy and structural change.

The reason for this study is the growing sense, in both society and in TSA that people in exploitative situations go unseen in both public support systems and in private and NGO/FBO support systems. This together with an increasing pressure to professionalise the faith based compassionate, informal and unjudgmental service in local church-based practices is challenging the traditional way to give support.

Practice development is the central element in the project. The issue of modern slavery and human trafficking is used as a practice example of a challenging issue congregational social practices face.

The project aims to contribute to local practices and provide diaconal research with knowledge regarding competence building within semi- professional congregational practices. It is an empirical project aiming to contribute with understanding of the role of faith and values for practice development through the Community of practice theory. I believe that the CoP theory is well placed to become a valuable and relevant practice development theory for faith-based practices by combining it with diaconal practice expressions.

I have four research questions for the project as a whole:

• What are the core elements of TSA congregational social practice (directed towards support of human trafficking victims)?
• What is the role of faith in development of TSA congregational social practice?
• How is justice work on behalf of vulnerable groups, (such as victims of human trafficking), part of TSA congregational social practice?
• How do members of TSA congregations’ manoeuvre between non-professional charity-based logic and professional logic when developing practices?

My research is as a contribution to church-based, diaconal, practice development as well as within the framework of social justice and anti-trafficking. This research, although done in a Norwegian setting, will contribute to a wider diaconal and social justice field and contribute with both practical and theoretical knowledge for practice development within the church. Raising the question regarding competence rather than professionality, as professionality sometimes is being looked at as a threat to the more informal and compassionate services, I am hoping that congregational semi-professional practices will be able to grow their anti-trafficking response and be aware of their own relevance as local community social justice actors.

Bakgrunn

Master i diakoni

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