Recent Articles by Alexander Rödlach
Giants’ Footprints. 90th Anniversary of Anthropos Institute, 2021
Anthropology has a privileged position among the various academic disciplines that inform and gui... more Anthropology has a privileged position among the various academic disciplines that inform and guide missionary practice; it increases the effectiveness of evangelization endeavors by providing skills and knowledge to better understand the sociocultural background of individuals and groups that are the focus of missionization efforts. Anthropology has been an important component in the formation of candidates (Grauer 2015) and the evangelization practices of brothers 2 and priests in the Society of the Divine Word since the founding of the order. The stage was set in 1905 when the Society's self-made anthropologist, Wilhelm Schmidt, invited missionaries to write down their observations of the lived experience of the people they served and provided them with a sample questionnaire for collecting ethnographic data (Schmidt 1905). He took an approach comparable to today's "citizen science" (Riesch and Potter 2014), arguing that missionaries are competent ethnographers because of their familiarity with the people they serve and their fluency in the language. The Anthropos journal he founded in 1906 was intended to be not only an academic journal, but also a forum for missionaries to present their observations to anthropologists (Anthropos Institute 2021a). Schmidt avoids a simplistic, utilitarian approach to using anthropology for missionary work by giving
Migration Letters, 2019
This article argues, based on the author's research and years of engagement with resettled Karenn... more This article argues, based on the author's research and years of engagement with resettled Karenni refugees in Omaha (U.S.) and illustrated by a characteristic case of a health emergency, that refugees' religious beliefs and networks can increase access to resources needed to boost their resilience, improve their health, and advance their sense of wellbeing, and subsequently encourages agencies working with refugees and other migrants to pay attention to refugees' religious beliefs and networks and closely collaborate with religious organizations. The author conceptualizes religious values and networks as social capital and calls for qualitative studies to explore the role of religion in improving resilience, health, and wellbeing of refugees and migrants.
Journal of Religion and Society, 2018
Drawing on a case study of resettled Karenni refugees from Myanmar in Omaha, in the American Midw... more Drawing on a case study of resettled Karenni refugees from Myanmar in Omaha, in the American Midwest, this article explores the role, function, and potential of refugees' identification with a religious belief and value system and membership in a religious organization for successful resettlement, and discusses the suitability of a common social science concept-social capital-to further our understanding of religions' role, function, and potential for refugee resettlement. The article argues that resettlement agencies that are engaging with religious organizations as their partners can increase refugees' access to social support, associated with identifying with a religious belief system and belonging to a religious organization, and the likelihood for successful resettlement.
Drawing on a case study of resettled Karenni refugees from Myanmar in Omaha, in the American Midw... more Drawing on a case study of resettled Karenni refugees from Myanmar in Omaha, in the American Midwest, this article explores the role, function, and potential of refugees' identification with a religious belief and value system and membership in a religious organization for successful resettlement, and discusses the suitability of a common social science concept -social capital -to further our understanding of religions' role, function, and potential for refugee resettlement. The article argues that resettlement agencies that are engaging with religious organizations as their partners can increase refugees' access to social support, associated with identifying with a religious belief system and belonging to a religious organization, and the likelihood for successful resettlement.
Sullivan, William, John Heng, Christopher De Bono, Gerry Gleeson, Gill Goulding, Christine Jamies... more Sullivan, William, John Heng, Christopher De Bono, Gerry Gleeson, Gill Goulding, Christine Jamieson, Bernadette Tobin, Jozef Welie, and Participants in the Eighth International IACB Colloquium (2018). Healing Relationships and Transformations in Health Care: IACB Consensus Statement on Ethical Discernment and Practical Recommendations. The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly 18(2):319-327.
Anthropologists have made significant contributions over the years to understanding and confronti... more Anthropologists have made significant contributions over the years to understanding and confronting the HIV/AIDS pandemic at local and global levels.
In proposed volume: Nelson, Andrew, Alexander Rödlach and Roos Willems. The Crux of Refugee Reset... more In proposed volume: Nelson, Andrew, Alexander Rödlach and Roos Willems. The Crux of Refugee Resettlement: Rebuilding Social Networks.
In: Behringer, Wolfgang and Claudia Opitz-Belakhal (eds.). Hexenkinder - Kinderbanden - Strassenk... more In: Behringer, Wolfgang and Claudia Opitz-Belakhal (eds.). Hexenkinder - Kinderbanden - Strassenkinder. 2015. Pp. 447-467.
Rödlach, A. (2013). Faith Community Nursing: An Emerging Ministry of Health and Healing Within th... more Rödlach, A. (2013). Faith Community Nursing: An Emerging Ministry of Health and Healing Within the Church. Verbum 54(2):139-165.
Frank, E. and Rödlach, A. (2013). To Disclose or Not to Disclose, That is the Question! Antiretro... more Frank, E. and Rödlach, A. (2013). To Disclose or Not to Disclose, That is the Question! Antiretroviral Therapy, Access to Resources, and Stigma in Southern Africa. Journal of Southern African Studies 39(1):119-133.
Rödlach, A. (2012). Sins of Omission: Public Health and HIV/AIDS in Africa. African Studies Quart... more Rödlach, A. (2012). Sins of Omission: Public Health and HIV/AIDS in Africa. African Studies Quarterly 14(4):81-87.
Rödlach, A., Dlodlo, R., and Hwalima, Z. (2012). Perceptions of HIV, AIDS, and Tuberculosis among... more Rödlach, A., Dlodlo, R., and Hwalima, Z. (2012). Perceptions of HIV, AIDS, and Tuberculosis among Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: Implications for the Provision of HIV and TB Care. African Journal for AIDS Research 11(2):99-112.
Marcos, L., Rosales, M. R., Rödlach, A., and Stone, J. (2012). Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim and Univ... more Marcos, L., Rosales, M. R., Rödlach, A., and Stone, J. (2012). Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim and University Researchers: Partnering in Community Health Development. Practicing Anthropology 34(1):37-40.
Rödlach, A. (2011). Reflections of a Missionary-Anthropologist on the Response of the Society of ... more Rödlach, A. (2011). Reflections of a Missionary-Anthropologist on the Response of the Society of the Divine Word to HIV/AIDS. Verbum 52(3):287-305.
Rödlach, A. (2011). Religious Institutions and Volunteering to Provide Care to People Living with... more Rödlach, A. (2011). Religious Institutions and Volunteering to Provide Care to People Living with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe. Religion, Health, and Healing: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry. Journal of Religion and Society Supplement Series 7. Edited by Alexander Rödlach and Barbara Dilly. Omaha: The Kripke Center.
Rödlach, A. (2011). “AIDS is in the Food”: Zimbabweans’ Associations between Nutrition and HIV/AI... more Rödlach, A. (2011). “AIDS is in the Food”: Zimbabweans’ Associations between Nutrition and HIV/AIDS and Their Potential for Addressing Food Insecurity and HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS and Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Solutions. Annals of Anthropological Practice 35(1):219-238. Barrett Brenton, John Mazzeo, and Alexander Rödlach (eds.). Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.
Rödlach, A. (2010). Popular Images of the AIDS Epidemic. Contemporary Wood Sculptures from Southe... more Rödlach, A. (2010). Popular Images of the AIDS Epidemic. Contemporary Wood Sculptures from Southern Zimbabwe. African Arts 43(2):54-67.
Rödlach, A. (2009). Home-Based Care for People Living with AIDS in Zimbabwe: Voluntary Caregivers... more Rödlach, A. (2009). Home-Based Care for People Living with AIDS in Zimbabwe: Voluntary Caregivers’ Concerns and Motivations. African Journal for AIDS Research 8(4):423-431.
Books by Alexander Rödlach
This volume is a reflection on the Society of the Divine Word’s (SVD) participation in God’s miss... more This volume is a reflection on the Society of the Divine Word’s (SVD) participation in God’s mission to heal. Following an introduction is a collection of thoughts and stories of some members of the SVD who are trained in a health- or healthcare-related profession or academic discipline. They are missionaries as healthcare professionals, counselors, researchers and teachers who highlight the holistic, collective and collaborative nature of health and healing in the SVD’s mission. Following their reflections and stories is a reflection on disability and two articles authored by theologians who discuss the role of disability, health, healthcare and caregiving in the mission of the Church and evangelization. Afterwards is a biographical sketch about the life and mission of Veronika Racková, SSpS, a medical doctor who was murdered as she provided care to a patient. A document of the World Council of Churches (2005) concludes this volume.
Faith community nursing and health ministry programs in congregations have increasingly been reco... more Faith community nursing and health ministry programs in congregations have increasingly been recognized as having a significant impact on the health and well-being of individuals. Based on a case study in Omaha, Nebraska, Transforming Lives: Health Initiatives in Faith Communities documents how nurses and health ministers touch and transform the recipients of their services and the participants in activities they organize. Alexander Rödlach argues that much of their success is due to their ability to collaborate with leadership in congregations and health systems. These programs have the potential to become significant partners with health systems and governments in providing health services to communities.
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Recent Articles by Alexander Rödlach
Books by Alexander Rödlach