Embodying Aga Tausili: A Public Theology from Oceania in Bloomington, MN

This book breaks new ground in the field of public theology by constructing a public theology which is built on interwoven cultural and Christian values. Writing from the Oceanian context (Samoa), Ah Siu-Maliko unpacks the complementary Samoan and Christian core values of service, respect, dialogue, love, and justice as the foundation for a values-centered response to the social realities confronting Oceania. Drawing on the indigenous research paradigm known as talanoa, the author grounds the public theology that emerges in extensive interviews with 75 Samoans from all walks of life—the “public” who are the subjects of public theology. The resulting framework is then applied to a specific social problem—the crisis of violence against women in Samoa. This pioneering contribution to public theology discourse opens up possibilities for similar contextual approaches to public theology not only across Oceania but around the world.