Honouring the elders: The common good among Karen communities - a multi-sited ethnography

© 2018 Australian Anthropological Society. This article discusses intergenerational relations and moral values among Karen communities in Thailand, Myanmar, Australia, Norway and the UK. We use a conceptual framework inspired by Christian anthropology and the notion of the "common good" to...

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Main Authors: Pia Jolliffe, Shirley Worland
Format: Journal
Published: 2018
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Online Access:https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85047668087&origin=inward
http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/59174
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Institution: Chiang Mai University
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spelling th-cmuir.6653943832-591742018-09-05T04:40:49Z Honouring the elders: The common good among Karen communities - a multi-sited ethnography Pia Jolliffe Shirley Worland Social Sciences © 2018 Australian Anthropological Society. This article discusses intergenerational relations and moral values among Karen communities in Thailand, Myanmar, Australia, Norway and the UK. We use a conceptual framework inspired by Christian anthropology and the notion of the "common good" to analyse how the practice of honouring the elderly is sustained by virtues of "acknowledged dependence" and "rational independence" (MacIntyre ). The article argues that honour of the elders in Karen communities is an intergenerational process. The younger's "acknowledged dependence" of the vulnerability of the elder results in respect and support enabling the elder's "rational independence". In turn, this facilitates ongoing imparting of wisdom and socially valuable knowledge contributing to an effective social order; thus, the common good of their communities. Research processes of long-term participant observation and more recent interviews revealed that honour and respect of older persons in diverse Karen communities across five countries remains a virtue valued by younger and older alike. 2018-09-05T04:40:49Z 2018-09-05T04:40:49Z 2018-01-01 Journal 17576547 10358811 2-s2.0-85047668087 10.1111/taja.12275 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85047668087&origin=inward http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/59174
institution Chiang Mai University
building Chiang Mai University Library
country Thailand
collection CMU Intellectual Repository
topic Social Sciences
spellingShingle Social Sciences
Pia Jolliffe
Shirley Worland
Honouring the elders: The common good among Karen communities - a multi-sited ethnography
description © 2018 Australian Anthropological Society. This article discusses intergenerational relations and moral values among Karen communities in Thailand, Myanmar, Australia, Norway and the UK. We use a conceptual framework inspired by Christian anthropology and the notion of the "common good" to analyse how the practice of honouring the elderly is sustained by virtues of "acknowledged dependence" and "rational independence" (MacIntyre ). The article argues that honour of the elders in Karen communities is an intergenerational process. The younger's "acknowledged dependence" of the vulnerability of the elder results in respect and support enabling the elder's "rational independence". In turn, this facilitates ongoing imparting of wisdom and socially valuable knowledge contributing to an effective social order; thus, the common good of their communities. Research processes of long-term participant observation and more recent interviews revealed that honour and respect of older persons in diverse Karen communities across five countries remains a virtue valued by younger and older alike.
format Journal
author Pia Jolliffe
Shirley Worland
author_facet Pia Jolliffe
Shirley Worland
author_sort Pia Jolliffe
title Honouring the elders: The common good among Karen communities - a multi-sited ethnography
title_short Honouring the elders: The common good among Karen communities - a multi-sited ethnography
title_full Honouring the elders: The common good among Karen communities - a multi-sited ethnography
title_fullStr Honouring the elders: The common good among Karen communities - a multi-sited ethnography
title_full_unstemmed Honouring the elders: The common good among Karen communities - a multi-sited ethnography
title_sort honouring the elders: the common good among karen communities - a multi-sited ethnography
publishDate 2018
url https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85047668087&origin=inward
http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/59174
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