THE ANCESTORS AND ZULU FAMILY TRANSITIONS: A BOWEN THEORY AND PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION by MICHAEL JOHN NEL submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY in the subject PRACTICAL THEOLOGY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: DR. M E HESTENES CO-PROMOTER: PROF M B C MOTLHABI NOVEMBER 2007 DECLARATION Student number: 3247-972-7 I declare that THE ANCESTORS AND ZULU FAMILY TRANSITIONS: A BOWEN THEORY AND PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. ……………………….. ….......................... SIGNATURE DATE (REV M J NEL) i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks to Dr. Mark Hestenes for his guidance and patience as we worked through numerous issues associated with this dissertation, also to Professor M. B.C. Motlhabi for his insightful comments. To Catherine Smith whose expertise and knowledge carefully and meticulously shaped the final document, my thanks. A special thanks to my wife, Pamela, whose encouragement kept me going and who was always willing to set aside whatever she was doing in order to read the numerous rewritten sections. Her constructive criticisms were not always received with grace, but were always greatly appreciated. She also deserves my thanks for bearing, on a number of occasions, the brunt of my frustration. Thanks to my daughters, Natasha, Michelle and Nicole whose quiet encouragement and confidence in their father’s ability was a precious gift that kept me going. A special thanks to my friend, Cathie Demetrioff, whose faith in me from the very beginning was unwavering, never once doubting that I would complete and submit this dissertation. This dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Grace, and to my grandson, Zoen. ii SUMMARY The commandment to honour one’s father and mother is not limited to honouring parents while they are living. In Zulu culture, for both the traditionalist and Christian Zulu, honouring parents, whether alive or dead, is to relate to them with great respect. Unfortunately, this respect for the ancestors has been misunderstood by many and labeled as “worship” or, more recently, as “veneration”. Affixing a religious connotation (“worship”, etc.) to the relationship led to the expectation that Zulu Christians would reject their ancestors and all the rites and practices associated with them. In spite of injunctions from the Church, a marked shift is occurring among Zulu Christians as many reincorporate their ancestors into their family process. This dissertation, an exploratory study, addresses this process of reincorporation by offering a new, non-religious interpretation of the relationship. Historically, the Zulu have sought and welcomed the presence of the ancestors during stressful family transitions such as marriage, birth, puberty and death. If the Church focused on the increased anxiety and destabilization associated with these family transitions, new insights could be gained into the functional importance of the ancestors (as anxiety binders) in the family process. The application of Bowen theory, a new paradigm for practical theology, to the research data provides new perspectives and understanding into the functional importance of the ancestors for Zulu families. Central to Bowen theory is the concept of the family as an emotional unit that includes all generations, including the ancestors. This concept iii correlates closely with the Zulu understanding of kinship. The concepts of multigenerational transmission process and triangulation in Bowen theory offer effective theoretical bases for interpreting the ongoing relationship Zulu families have with their ancestors. This dissertation critiques certain Church practices and offers a practical theological response that can inform and enrich the Church’s pastoral care. By developing a practical theology of relationships―one informed by Bowen theory, Scripture and the traditions of the Church―the Church can assist Zulu Christians pastorally as they reincorporate their ancestors into their family process. Keywords: Zulu Ancestors Bowen Theory Practical Theology Lutheran Theology Zulu Family Transitions Zulu Marriage Practices Zulu Birth Practices Zulu Puberty Practices Zulu Death Practices Umuntu iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS v DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii SUMMARY iii CHAPTER 1: THE ANCESTORS AND ZULU FAMILY TRANSITIONS: A BOWEN THEORY AND PRACTCAL THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION Introduction and Orientation 1 1.1 The Research Problem 3 1.2 The Research Question 3 1.3 Research Hypothesis 4 1.4 The Context of the Research Problem 5 1.5 The Scope of the Dissertation 12 1.6 The Question of Terminology 12 1.6.1 Ancestors 12 1.6.2 Brooding 13 1.6.3Function 13 1.6.4 Family as an Emotional Unit 13 1.6.5 Rites of Passage 13 1.7 Theoretical Orientation 14 1.7.1 The Need for a New Paradigm 14 1.7.2 The Theological Orientation 16 1.8 Aims of the Research 18 1.9 Research Approach 19 1.9.1 Methodology 19 1.9.2 The Research Process 20 1.9.3 Interpretation and Evaluation of the Research Data 20 1.10 The Limitations of this Study 21 1.11 Dissertation Chapters 22 i CHAPTER 2: A SYSTEMIC PRACTICAL THEOLOGY OF RELATIONSHIPS Introduction 25 2.1 The Background 26 2.1.1 The Limitations of Practical Theology 26 2.1.2 Defining Practical Theology 27 2.1.2.1 A Brief History of Practical Theology 27 2.1.2.2 Some Shortcomings of the Traditional Definitions 31 2.1.3 Practical Theology: a Definition 33 2.2 A Systemic Practical Theology of Relationships 33 2.2.1 Importance of Community 33 2.2.2 Incarnational Theology 35 2.2.3 God as Creator 35 2.2.3.1 God’s Ongoing Function as Creator 36 2.2.3.2 Human Nature: A Systemic Theological Perspective 37 2.2.3.3 A Systems Perspective of Human Nature “Under The Law” 37 2.2.3.4 Freedom and the Law 38 2.2.3.5 Anxiety and Faith 40 2.2.3.6 Sin 42 2.2.3.7 Evil 43 2.2.3.8 Idolatry 43 2.2.3.9. Idolatry and the Ancestors 45 2.3 Redemption 46 2.3.1 Redemption as Promise 46 2.3.2 Redemption and the Cosmos 49 2.3.3 Redemption and the Covenant 49 2.3.4 Redemption and the Family 50 Conclusion 51 CHAPTER 3: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Introduction 53 3.1 Who are the Ancestors 54 3.2 Ancestors and Kinship 55 ii 3.3 How and When does a Person Become an Ancestor? 57 3.4 Ancestors: Continuity and Community 58 3.5 The Ancestors and Anxiety 59 3.6 The Function of the Ancestors 60 3.7 Ancestor Religion 62 3.8 Inculturation 66 Conclusion 68 CHAPTER 4: BOWEN THEORY AND THE FAMILY AS AN EMOTIONAL UNIT Introduction 71 4.1 The Family as the Unit of Study 73 4.2 Background of Bowen Theory 76 4.3 The Three Systems in Bowen Theory 77 4.3.1 The Emotional System 78 4.3.2 The Feeling System 79 4.3.3 The Intellectual System 79 4.4 Anxiety 79 4.5 The Eight Concepts of Bowen Theory 81 4.5.1 Differentiation of Self 81 4.5.2 Triangles 84 4.5.3 Nuclear Family Emotional Process 85 4.5.4 Family Projection Process 86 4.5.5 Emotional Cut-off 86 4.5.6 Sibling Position 87 4.5.7 Multigenerational Transmission Process 87 4.5.7.1 Multigenerational Family as an Emotional Unit 87 4.5.7.2 Information Transmission Across Generations 88 4.5.7.3 The Multigenerational Transmission Process and Differentiation of Self 88 4.5.7.4 The Multigenerational Process and Emotional Triangles 89 4.5.7.5 The Multigenerational Transmission Process and Cutoff 89 4.5.8 Societal Emotional Process 89 iii 4.6 Bowen Theory and the Rites of Passage 90 4.6.1 Birth and Systems Theory 90 4.6.2 Puberty and Systems Theory 91 4.6.3 Marriage 92 4.6.3.1 Marriage and Nature 92 4.6.3.2 Marriage and Pair Bonding 94 4.6.3.3 Marriage and the Emotional Unit 94 4.6.3.4 Marriage and Differentiation of Self 94 4.6.3.5 Marriage and Cut-off–Divorce 95 4.6.4 Death and Systems Theory 96 Conclusion 98 CHAPTER 5: BOWEN THEORY AND THE ZULU UNDERSTANDING OF FAMILY Introduction 99 5.1 The Family as an Emotional Unit and Kinship 99 5.2 Family Harmony 101 5.3 Family and Rites and Rituals 103 5.4 Belonging, Communion and Emotional Cut-off 106 5.5 Umuntu and the Development of the Self 115 5.6 Ancestors and Emotional Triangulation 116 Conclusion 118 CHAPTER 6: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 6.1 The Planning Process 119 6.1.1 Identifying the Problem 119 6.1.2 Significance of the Question 119 6.1.3 Theoretical Framework 120 6.1.4 Theological Framework 121 6.1.5 The Goals of the Research 121 6.1.6 The Hypothesis and Sub-hupotheses 122 6.2 The Research Methodology 123 6.2.1 The Case Study Methodology 124 iv 6.2.1.1 Definition of the Case Study Methodology 124 6.2.1.2 The Choice of the Case Study Method 125 6.2.2 The Research as Exploratory Study 126 6.2.3 The Research as Descriptive Study 127 6.3 The Design of the Study 128 6.3.1 The Setting 128 6.3.2 The Research Population 128 6.3.3 Pilot Study 129 6.3.4 The Main Research Study 131 6.3.4.1 Training of Interviewers 131 6.3.4.2 Data Collection 132 6.4 Analysis and Evaluation 134 6.4.1 Data Organization 134 6.4.2 Data Analysis 135 CHAPTER 7: A BOWEN THEORY INTERPRETATION OF ZULU FAMILY TRANSITIONS: BIRTH AND PUBERTY 7.1 Birth and the Ancestors 136 7.1.1 Biological Roots of Birth 136 7.1.2 Bowen Theory and the Birth of Children 138 7.1.3 Belonging and Zulu Family Life 142 Conclusion 147 7.2 Puberty 148 Conclusion 162 CHAPTER 8: A BOWEN THEORY INTERPRETATION OF ZULU FAMILY TRANSITIONS: MARRIAGE AND DEATH 8.1 Marriage 164 8.1.1 Marriage, the Family Unit and Anxiety 164 8.1.2 The Function of the Ancestors in Marriage 167 8.1.3 Courtship Rituals and the Ancestors 170 8.1.4 The Function of Lobola 170 8.1.4.1 Lobola and Differentiation 171 v