Worldview Interviews

ASAP Forward Y2

By your second year on the field, you have made considerable progress in learning language. Your growing
language ability empowers you to communicate important information and opens up a whole new
worldview to explore. You have been developing meaningful relationships with local people and are
spending a good bit of time in conversation with them. You have already learned the language needed to
talk about dozens of cultural events and ideas. Hopefully, you have identified a growing number of
informants you can ask questions about their world – not necessarily “educated experts”, but people who
can articulate what the average person thinks, feels, and believes. You should now be able to explore the
worldview of your people at an increasingly deeper level.

One way to do this is to interview/discuss how people view their world and how things work in their
society. By interview, we do not mean a formal, or even scheduled, meeting with a cultural informant. You
simply ask questions that can lead to greater understanding of how they view their world. All of this is
purposeful, the better you understand these things, the better you will be able to share the gospel in
meaningful ways and envision what following Christ means in this setting.
When you tell a Bible story, ask questions to get the people talking about it, and listen carefully to how
they understand it, you are learning about their culture. It will be helpful to record these conversations and
even to take a few notes about what you are learning. These are valuable insights you can share with
colleagues.

In some ways, this is a bit like exploring a cave – spelunking. You enter the opening you have and keep
following the passages that open up to you. Some promising openings may end abruptly and some may
open into huge caverns you never imagined existed. Here are some topics you may find helpful, but this list
is only examples to get you started:

List of Worldview Questions and Topics

Family and Kinship

1. Is land owned by a family or by individuals?

2. Who lives together in the same household?
3. What are the terms of address to refer to different members of the family?
4. What are the special obligations, responsibilities, or privileges that go with the different
relationship pairs (father-son, or brother-younger brother)?
5. How are different households related to each other? Do kinfolk live near each other?
6. Who takes care of orphans?
7. What responsibilities do relatives have to each other? Are they expected to lend money or goods to
each other or take in and raise children who are related to them?
8. Who is considered head of the household? How is the head of the household chosen?
9. Are there relatives one should avoid or not talk to?
10. What relationships are usual with in-laws?
11. Are there restrictions against marrying relatives, or are some relatives considered desirable
marriage partners?
Marriage

1. What is the basis for marriage in this society? What makes a desirable marriage partner? When do
boys and girls reach a marriageable age?
2. How does courtship take place? Who initiates courtship?
3. Who arranges for a marriage? Does some sort of payment take place (a bride price or a dowry)?
How are marriages arranged? Is there a betrothal ceremony?
4. What kinds of marriages are recognized by the society?
5. Is polygamy permitted in the society? Is polygamy common? What are relations like in a
polygamous household?
6. What preparations are made for a wedding?
7. What takes place at a marriage ceremony? Who presides over the ceremony? What other
significant roles are there at a ceremony? Who is invited to the ceremony?
8. How do the different participants dress at a wedding? Are gifts customary? What gifts are
appropriate?
9. Where does a newly married couple live? What adjustment problems are there for a newly married
couple?
10. What is the basis on which a marriage can be terminated? How do people in the society feel about
terminated marriages? Are terminated marriages common?

Local Government

1. How is the city, town, or village in which you live administered? What are the positions of
authority? What are the qualifications for authority?
2. How are leaders chosen? How much authority do the leaders have, and in what areas do they have
authority?
3. Is there a local council or group of advisers that relate to the leader? How are these people chosen?
How much influence do they have over the leaders?
4. How do they arrive at major decisions arrived? Is there opportunity for disagreement or debate?
Does everyone at the meeting have a voice? Who makes the final decision? How is the decision
made known to the people of the community?
5. Do women or young people have a voice in making decisions?
6. What are the external and internal forces of control? What is the relationship of the community
with the external control system?

Social Stratification

1. What the age groups recognized by society? What status do older people have compared to
younger people? At what age do people have most influence in the society?
2. What is the status of men and women?
3. Are people of some ethnic groups accorded higher status than those of other ethnic groups?
4. What social classes or castes are recognized by the society? On what basis does someone belong to
a social class? Are people born into a certain class? Can people move from one class to another
during their lifetime? On what basis can they move to a different class?
5. Who has particular prestige in the community? What is the basis for this prestige?
6. What objects are status symbols in the society? Have these status symbols changed over time?
Friendship

1. What is the basis for friendship in the society? Do people restrict friendship to people of the same
age group and sex?
2. What kinds of things do friends do together? What are the obligations and privileges of friendship?
3. How do you show someone you would like to be a friend? Who initiates a friendship?
4. Are there special groups of friends or cliques in the community?

Visiting and Hospitality

1. What patterns of visiting do you observe? When do people usually visit each other?
2. How do people travel to visit each other?
3. What people tend to visit each other? Are they family members, neighbors, friends, or fellow-
workers?
4. How often do people visit each other? How long do people stay for a visit?
5. What hospitality is shown to visitors? Are there differences, depending on whether the person is a
close friend, a relative, or a stranger?
6. What words of welcome are said? Is there a standard formulaic greeting?
7. Is food or drink offered during a visit and if so, when?
8. What topics are discussed? Who initiates the conversation; men or women, old or young, or visitor
or host?
9. What do children do during a visit?
10. Where do people receive visitors? What room of the house is used for visitors, or is it outside the
house?
11. How long does a visit typically last? How does a host indicate to a visitor that it is time to leave, or
does the visitor initiate the leaving procedure?

Gift Exchanges

1. What are the rules of etiquette for giving and receiving gifts? To whom would a person give a gift?
2. On what occasions would a gift typically be given? What things are considered appropriate gifts?
3. What is the motivation for giving a gift?
4. What sort of reciprocity is expected? What would be given in return or exchange?
5. Would you be expected to give a gift when visiting someone's house or when someone visits your
house? What sort of gift would be appropriate?
6. Would a gift be wrapped? If wrapped, when is it opened?
7. In what ways is gift-giving associated with status? Do you give different gifts to people of higher or
lower status?
8. What expectations are raised in the recipient if you give a gift or in the giver if you accept a gift?

Buying and Selling

1. What items are offered for sale in the community?

2. Where do you go to buy and sell different items? Are there special shops for different items? Is
there a local market? What days does a market operate?
3. What sort of monetary system is used? Is payment sometimes given in kind for products or
services?
 4. Is there a barter system? What are the rules or principles for bartering? What items have a fixed
price and for what items can you negotiate a price?
5. What is the script for a typical buying-selling exchange? (Choose a particular type of commodity.)
6. Do traders come to houses to sell wares or do people always go to a market or shop?
7. Is there a credit system? On what basis is credit extended? What happens if debts cannot be paid?

Religious Institutions

1. What religious institutions exist in the community?

2. What religious practitioners are there (holy men or women, priests, seers, or magicians)? Who are
the practitioners and what do they do? Are they paid for their services and if so, how?
3. Are there special places where religious services are held? Are they considered holy places?
4. Do they hold regular religious services? What goes on at such a service? Who attends?
5. What is the typical script for a religious service? How much variation is there in the script?
6. Are there special religious ceremonies for special occasions and if so, what sort of occasions? What
is the yearly round of religious activities?
7. Are there religious sects? Who belongs to the sect? What beliefs are the sects based on? Does
membership in a religious sect correspond with membership in other kinds of groups or identities?

Religious Beliefs

1. What religions are practiced in the community? Is there a variety of religious beliefs or do most
people hold the same belief?
1. 2. What do people believe about the cosmos? How did the cosmos come into being? Were any
spiritual beings involved?
2. What spiritual beings are there? What do the spiritual beings do? Do spiritual beings have names?
What is their character?
3. Can people influence the spirits and if so, how? What can spirits do to or for people? How are
spirits offended?
4. Does a person have a soul or more than one? What happens to the soul at death? What determines
where the soul goes?

Hindu Specific Religious Questions

1. What is their jati/caste/sub-caste. What traditional occupations were performed by this caste
group? How has this changed—or has it? What are the current occupations of the group?
2. How does this group think and feel about other caste groups as well as non-Hindus (including
colonizers or historical oppressors)?
3. With which other sub-castes can this group intermarry? Eat? Socialize?
4. Is the regulation of daily life as well as the handling of crises among these people more concerned
with traditional law--dharma, secularism, European law or the views of a fundamentalist group?
5. Is there an active local caste governing body that enforces caste appropriate behavior [Dharma]?
What means are used to insure conformity?
6. Are parts of the castse dharma changing due to the influence of urbanization, secularization, etc.?
7. What do these people feel is distinctive about their people? How do they justify the correctness of
their religious beliefs?
8. Which Hindu gods are particularly revered among this caste/sub-caste?
 9. How observant are these people of the Samaskaras? Do the heads of families perform the Pancha-
mahayajna (the five great daily sacrifices)?
10. Who worships at the family altar and tends the sacred fire? How often is the average member of
the group involved in temple worship? Is there a difference according to gender or age?
11. Which Hindu festivals do these observe?
12. What rights, privileges and statuses do women have in this group? In what ways and by what
means do women influence their husbands, their children and other women?
13. What religious behaviors are important for women in this group? What religious activities may they
attend and what status or value is received from doing them?
14. What kinds of relationships and interactions are possible between these people and nature spirits,
Brahma, ancestral spirits, animals and forces?
15. What times are auspicious and what times are inauspicious or dangerous?
16. What do they believe causes illness and what cures for illness are available locally?
17. What actions or words protect people from the evil spirits and harmful forces?
18. Who are the religious specialists among this people and what are their special abilities? How is their
power or ability acquired?
19. In the community’s view, how are good character traits developed? How are unlawful character
traits eliminated?
20. What objects and words are believed to contain power and how are they used?
21. How important are dreams and spirits in acquiring special knowledge and supernormal abilities?
22. What specific concerns do women have regarding spirits, forces and other dangers, how do they
meet these concerns and solve other problems?

Questions to Help Identify EV Bridges

1. What rituals are used to atone for shortcomings throughout the year?
2. What rituals or procedures are used to reconcile opposing groups following a disagreement?
3. What are the greatest fears and concerns of the group? What is done to alleviate fears and
concerns?
4. What do they wish for or desire? What do they do to gain their wishes?
5. How do people in this group learn—are they oral or literate? Does this vary by gender? Age?
6. How much and what kind of religious knowledge are members of the group expected to know? Is
this different for women? How are people expected to acquire the needed religious knowledge,
expertise?
7. How does the group and leadership in the group define apostasy? What actions and words create
the most problems for the new believer?
8. What customs, behaviors and dress signify beauty and grace among women? Which receive
condemnation?
9. What customs, behavior and dress signify manly honor and charm among the men? Which receive
condemnation?
10. How and when do men share news and personal feelings with each other? Are there status and/or
age considerations that could affect communication?
11. How and when do women share news and personal feelings with each other? Are there status
and/or age considerations that could affect communication?
12. What organizations or institutions and groups outside the home and extended family do men join?
What qualities do men look for in a leader?
13. What organizations or institutions and groups outside the home and extended family can women
join? What qualities do women look for in a woman leader?