Alsike Kloster : An Ethnographic Study of Spiritual Activism as Daily Life

Abstract: For nearly 40 years, Sister Karin and the nuns at Alsike Kloster have been giving sanctuary to refugees while also taking political, social and legal action to advocate for their rights. Every day they share their home with 60 men, women and children who are fleeing violence, persecution, looming threats and even death. Unlike many activists, the sisters of Alsike Kloster have turned spiritual activism into daily life. In this thesis, I immerse myself in the process of how the community of nuns and refugees do what they do. The purpose of this thesis is to paint an ethnographic portrait and open a window of understanding into the spiritual activism that this community lives as daily life. As I participate in this community of many faiths, many languages, and people from all over the world, I hope to gain an understanding of how they manage to share meals, chores, immigration hearings, birthday parties, fears, joys and sufferings with such cohesion and acceptance. Seeing how these sisters and refugees all live together gives me hope that we can all work for social change in our own small ways. Learning from these sisters how their faith translates into direct loving action for their neighbors from many countries gives me hope that something else is possible. Spiritual activism entails a worldview that resacralizes life which has implications for every aspect of our interconnected global world: not only religions, but also politics, economics, international relations, social awareness and our global responsibility for everything from climate justice to the refugee crisis.