Epilogue: Conscientization in the aftermath of the Umbrella Movement

• Main Author: TSE, Justin Kh
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2016
• Subjects: Umbrella Movement; protests; theology; Hong Kong; Asian Studies; Political Science; Religion
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3131; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4388/viewcontent/Epilogue_Umbrella_Movement_2016_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

The essays in this volume have demonstrated that the Umbrella Movement brought about a new theological moment in Hong Kong. As discussed in the introduction, theological actors in Hong Kong can be described as having followed the see-judge-act process of liberation theology. Indeed, the seeing and judging of Hong Kong’s situation that began with Occupy Central with Love and Peace (OCLP) in 2013 culminated unexpectedly with the action of the 2014 protests, transcending the wildest imaginations of the seers and the judges. In turn, the authors of this book have seen the 2014 protests and have also judged them theologically. Before action is taken again, we must take stock of what we have seen and judged, even and especially if some readers are not from Hong Kong. Not only is this task important for reflecting in solidarity with Hong Kong people who have to deal with the aftermath of the 2014 events, but also it more importantly points to the ways that these experiences in Hong Kong contribute to the theological understanding of the protest movements that have emerged over the past few years around the world. While I will contend that the chapters have shown that the Umbrella Movement in fact produced a depoliticized faith in Hong Kong, I shall ultimately argue that this new emphasis on contemplative spirituality, orthodox theological teaching, and the rejection of ideological subjectification is fully consonant with the deep origins of liberation theology in the term “conscientization” (Portuguese, conscientizaçāo ) as coined by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire in his 1970 text Pedagogy of the Oppressed.