April 30, 2015
DePaul University
Felix Wilfred
~ President, Concilium: International Journal of Theology
~ Emeritus Professor of Philosophy & Religious Thought, State University of Madras
(Chennai, India)
This talk is an attempt to interpret/deconstruct traditional approaches to ecumenism through postcolonial theories, and to re-envision its future. It will critically examine the presuppositions and assumptions behind the use of some fundamental concepts deployed in the theological discourse on ecumenism. The validity of this attempt will be tested the Asian Ecumenical Movement, leading to a global vision on ecumenism of the future in dialogue with the margins or periphery as an important theological trope. In this context, this presentation seeks to relate ecumenism to the larger humanistic project of postcolonial vernacular cosmopolitanism.