{"id":2448,"date":"2016-04-08T16:11:37","date_gmt":"2016-04-08T20:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/practicalmattersjournal.ecdsdev.org\/?p=2448"},"modified":"2016-05-04T15:16:18","modified_gmt":"2016-05-04T19:16:18","slug":"space-sharing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pmcleanup.ecdsdev.org\/2016\/04\/08\/space-sharing\/","title":{"rendered":"Space-Sharing by Religious Groups"},"content":{"rendered":"
This article examines space-sharing arrangements between congregational subgroups as one iteration of the larger phenomenon of space-sharing by religious groups. Cases of both ineffective and effective space-sharing arrangements in Roman Catholic parishes, Jewish synagogues, Muslim mosques, and Hindu temples will be offered, \u201ceffectiveness\u201d being gauged by the degree of conflict in managing the common space. Drawing upon insights from commons management research based on the pioneering work of political economist Elinor Ostrom, the article argues that an effective or relatively conflict-free space-sharing arrangement can usually be attributed to the adequacy and clarity of the design principles underlying the arrangement. The article will conclude by discussing similarities and differences between space-sharing by congregational subgroups and other iterations of the space-sharing phenomenon (host and guest congregations, joint operation of a facility, and use of a third-party venue).\u00a0[1]<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n The phenomenon of religious groups sharing common space is becoming commonplace in the United States. Such arrangements can involve one congregation using another congregation\u2019s building, religious organizations operating a joint facility, or religious groups using venues that are managed or co-managed by a third party.<\/p>\n This article will examine a familiar iteration of the space-sharing phenomenon\u2014two or more distinguishable subgroups within a congregation managing their use of common space at different times and for different purposes. I focus here on subgroupings defined by differences in ethnic identity and\/or religious beliefs and practices though distinctions of social status, generation, gender, or sexual orientation can also create congregational subgroups. What makes for effective management of the common space, that is, a relatively conflict-free space-sharing arrangement? Conversely, what accounts for ineffective management, that is, a generally conflictual space-sharing arrangement?<\/p>\n The article has four sections. First, I will discuss insights from commons management research that lead to the following hypothesis: the effectiveness of a space-sharing arrangement can usually be attributed to the design principles underlying the arrangement\u2014the more adequate and clear the principles, the more likely the arrangement will be relatively conflict-free. Second, drawing upon scholarly and other reports, I will offer cases of both ineffective and effective space-sharing arrangements in Roman Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu congregations. Next, I will analyze the cases according to the design principles underlying the space-sharing arrangements, identify potential thresholds of dissonance that can undermined such arrangements, and discuss both minimalist and maximalist definitions of \u201ceffectiveness\u201d in managing congregational common space. Finally, I will conclude with speculations about other space-sharing contexts.<\/p>\n I prefer the term \u201ccommon space\u201d to \u201csacred space\u201d for two reasons. First, the shared space may not be designated as sacred in a permanent or ongoing sense. Whereas the common space at times may be a church sanctuary, a mosque prayer hall, or a temple sanctum, at other times it may be an ordinary room. Moreover, the common space may sometimes be used for purposes not considered \u201csacred\u201d by the participants, such as social activities or cultural celebrations. Second, the term common space alludes to the notion of a \u201ccommons.\u201d<\/p>\n An extensive body of commons management research derives from the pioneering work of political economist Elinor Ostrom.[2]<\/a> A \u201ccommons\u201d is a resource shared by two or more parties over time, ranging from household refrigerators to community playgrounds, from bodies of water to bodies of knowledge.[3]<\/a> Much of commons management research has focused on sharing natural resources (like fishing grounds). I have found nothing to date regarding religious groups sharing common space in the way I have framed this article.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n In her groundbreaking Governing the Commons<\/em>, Ostrom described eight design principles that characterize effective management of a shared resource or \u201ccommons\u201d over time: (1) the boundaries of the commons and its legitimate users are clearly defined, (2) the rules of use match the local context, (3) users have opportunities to modify the rules, (4) outside authorities respect the users\u2019 right to create their own rules, (5) users\u2019 behavior is self-monitored, (6) a system of sanctions is in place for rules violations, (7) conflict-resolution mechanisms are easily accessible, and (8) large-scale commons use involves multiple layers of governance.[5]<\/a> Ostrom\u2019s principles have held up well over years of application and study.[6]<\/a> Note that the importance of rules is explicit or implicit throughout the principles, though specific rules will differ according to the context.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n I will use these design principles in assessing the effectiveness of the space-sharing arrangements in the congregational cases described below, though all eight principles need not pertain in every case. I am arguing that the more adequate and clear the principles, the more likely the space-sharing arrangement will be relatively conflict-free; conversely, inadequate and unclear principles will likely conduce to a generally conflictual space-sharing arrangement.<\/p>\n In framing effectiveness in terms of the degree of intergroup conflict I am again drawing upon insights from commons management research. As Dietz, Ostrom, and Stern observe, managing an environmental commons inherently involves struggle and conflict.[8]<\/a> I would argue that the potential, at least, for intergroup struggle and conflict is inherent in managing congregational common space. My definition of an effective arrangement as \u201crelatively conflict-free\u201d is admittedly minimalist in that the intergroup relationship can be actively congenial or rather aloof\u2014either way, it is not contentious. (I will discuss a maximalist definition of effectiveness below.) The frequency of group interaction is not relevant to my inquiry about the effectiveness of the space-sharing arrangement. The intuitive notion that minimal interaction conduces to better group relations due to fewer opportunities to \u201ccross\u201d each other\u2019s paths\u2014in both senses of the word, physically meeting and fostering conflict\u2014does not always hold. The duration of the space-sharing arrangement over time is also not relevant to my inquiry.[9]<\/a> An arrangement may be short-term and can dissolve for any number of reasons, as when a subgroup of a congregation accumulates enough resources to purchase or build its own facility.<\/p>\n I have selected both ineffective and effective cases from scholarly and other reports that reflect three variables in space-sharing arrangements by congregational subgroups. First, I have organized the cases according to religious tradition, in this order: Roman Catholic parishes, Jewish synagogues, Muslim mosques, and Hindu temples. Second, the subgroups in all cases differ by ethnic identity and\/or religious beliefs and practices. Third, I have included cases that reflect different rates of group interaction. My assumption is that the effectiveness of the space-sharing arrangement does not depend on any of these variables\u2014the larger religious tradition, group distinctions of ethnicity and\/or beliefs and practices, or the frequency of intergroup contact. The accompanying figure shows the cases; the descriptions begin with the ineffective cases in each tradition.<\/p>\n
\nIntroduction: Space-Sharing Arrangements<\/h3>\n
Insights from Commons Management Research<\/h3>\n
Cases of Space-Sharing by Congregational Subgroups<\/h3>\n
Figure. Cases of Congregational Space-Sharing<\/h4>\n