Lubricating the Rough Grounds The Case of Panag Kalangkang

  • Willard Enrique R. Macaraan Theology and Religious Education Department, De La Salle University, Philippines

Abstract

PanagKalangkang is a small fishing community in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque. Viewed as rough ground, life there is an everyday struggle where, from their need to survive, people have to negotiate and adjust. In this paper, the author attempts to draw on the idea of “rough grounds” as locus theologicus and thereby contribute towards a theological methodology sourced from the praxis of the margins, where people find themselves in the midst of friction between the dominant forces of structure/system and the dearth of the ground. To better facilitate the analysis of the frictional dynamics at the ground, this paper makes use of a heuristic device that borrows fundamental ideas from the science of lubricated friction, a branch of engineering science called tribology. It has been discovered that the peculiarity of that  locus has implications for theological methodology. Anecdotal narratives of the author’s field research in selected BECs in the Diocese of Boac, Marinduque are integrated to provide concrete “corporeal” structure to an otherwise theoretical abstraction.

 

Keywords: Basic Ecclesial Communities, Filipino theology, Boac, Marinduque, tribology

Published online on
2016-08-29
How to Cite
MACARAAN, Willard Enrique R.. Lubricating the Rough Grounds The Case of Panag Kalangkang. QUEST: Studies on Religion & Culture in Asia, [S.l.], v. 1, aug. 2016. ISSN 2415-5993. Available at: <https://www.theology.cuhk.edu.hk/quest/index.php/quest/article/view/25>. Date accessed: 28 mar. 2024.
Section
Articles