Abstract:
This article is a critical dialogue between postfoundationalism and deconstruction
seeking a way of doing theology, specifically Practical Theology, without universal foundations, in
the context of a discussion with Wentzel van Huyssteen. Can postfoundationalism, complemented by the
critical contribution of deconstruction, pave a way for doing theology that is open to the global
multi-disciplinary dialogue? This would mean a way of doing theology that takes the social
constructions of the local seriously, yet can move beyond the local into a global dialogue without
recourse to universal foundations. In this article postfoundationalism does indeed pave a way for
this global dialogue between the various local constructions while deconstruction critically guides
this process so that it is not only a dialogue between the dominant constructions of the powerful,
but that space is created for the marginalized voices to be heard in the global dialogue. This move
beyond the confines of the local into the global multi-disciplinary dialogue is the hope that
motivates research in Practical Theology that has relevance beyond its own context and
discipline.
