Temporality, Dispossession and the Search for the Good: Interpreting the Book of Jeremiah with the Jesuit Refugee Service

Rowlands, Anna

Abstract

This article explores potential connections between the experience of contemporary forced migrants subject to destitution and detention policies in the UK and readings of the biblical text, including the Book of Jeremiah. Drawing from fieldwork interviews conducted in London, it notes the significance of Jeremiah 29 to and its interpretation by interviewees. In dialogue with other articles in this volume and based on the insights of those interviewed for this project, the article considers the figure of Jeremiah as a critical figure in debate about forced migration and the Book of Jeremiah. It concludes with a proposal for connecting the narratives of contemporary forced migrants, readings of the text of Jeremiah, and the work of Simone Weil.

Citation

Rowlands, A. (2018). Temporality, Dispossession and the Search for the Good: Interpreting the Book of Jeremiah with the Jesuit Refugee Service. Political Theology, 19(6), 517-536. https://doi.org/10.1080/1462317x.2018.1502908

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 24, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Aug 21, 2018
• Publication Date: Aug 21, 2018
• Deposit Date: May 24, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 21, 2020
• Journal: Political Theology
• Print ISSN: 1462-317X
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-1719
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 517-536
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1462317x.2018.1502908
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1330239