2024.01.26 Outside Knowing

I’m trying to find the next “luminous particularity”—or bright and unique idea—for a paper. I would hope to develop a concept and write up an abstract that would be submitted for the next Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) conference. (It is in San Diego, my favorite location and home of my sister, Faith.) It needs to extend my project, but I don’t have any findings yet—which will be the planned topic of the third paper from this fellowship. (The first one was presented at the SBL this past November, and I have now submitted a proposal to the editor of a journal. I welcome prayers for a favorable response from the editor.) I am on track for my projects Gantt chart goals, but the first stages are:

1. Work package 1: research expanding theory/knowledge

1a. Biblical theological framework presentation @ SBL

1b. Climate science, climate anxiety

1c. Maasai climate ontology and traditional environmental knowledge (TEK)

1d. Social science research on change and reactants

1e. Biblical theological framework paper submitted for publication

2. Work package 2: field work preparation; networking; soliciting stakeholders language learning, MS-TCDC course (Oct)

I have until April to complete these, but I’m feeling good about the foundation I’m building.

Knut suggested having a focus for the next paper on something dealing with epistemology, which is dealing with how do we know what we know, and what are the theories that justify our beliefs. I’ve done quite a bit of research about the Maasai worldview, but there are two new dimensions I’ve been pondering about the Maasai.

First, the communal nature of life is like water to a fish. Yup, I got this, but it has expanded these past few months. This communal nature means that with all the struggles of life in this African context, rarely does anyone struggle alone. Ujaama (I am because we are, and since we are, therefore I am.) has always be a warm-fuzzy sense to me, but now, I understand a bit better it through the lens of suffering.

Second, how would you perceive life if you lived 95% of your waking hours outside? The traditional Maasai are only inside if they are sleeping, sick, it is raining, or—for the women—if they are cooking. How does the constant stimuli with creation affect one’s ways of knowing? One’s “home” is not primarily a building but rather the land. So, I’m pondering how these ways of knowing are different from mine, and what I learn about the expansive world and belonging to the suffering community and the land as part of one’s very existence. So, as a biblical scholar, how do I connect these to a biblical framework? So, I’m pondering Old Testament texts.

Mungu akubariki! (God bless you! in Kiswahili)
Mikitamayana Engai! (God bless you! in Maa)