The Celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ - Essay Example

?Introduction For Christians all over the world, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the one who is d in the Bible to save the people from their sins and wicked ways. For many years, there are many people who celebrated Christmas and the entire country with popular number of Christians will have to celebrate Christmas day and set it as a national holiday that will call for a nation-wide celebration. It is the same thing happening in New Zealand until this day, but aside from that, it remains an important issue to know whether Christmas in this country still have religious significance. Concerning this point, illustrating the research question “Does Christmas in New Zealand have religious significance?” is the primary motivation of the work at hand with the integration of concepts associated with critical research applied in the sociological context. The Chosen Image The image below is taken from the book cover of Sarah Ell’s book “A New Zealand Christmas: Three Centuries of Kiwi Christmas Celebrations from the Alexander Turnbull Library”. The book showcases the Christmas Kiwiana as highlited by Christmas cards, Christmas Day dinner menus, photographs, recipes, adverstisements and poser art, which imply the spirit of commerce and trade as far as the the three centuries of Christmas in Kiwi New Zealand is concerned. The book as depicted through the image speaks nothing of something relevant about the birth of Jesus Christ except for the inscribed words “Joyous Christmas” at the upper left corner and the mentioned of Christmas on its title. The image therefore barely represents the original religious tradition of Christmas. Instead, it speaks of the season by which everybody around the world happens to celebrate Christmas. Everyone, especially Christian, when it is winter in the western part of the world, celebrates Christmas, and it seems the whole world is now fully-oriented with this idea, allowing us to add New Zealand to the statistics. Therefore, the main cover of the book as depicted in the image speaks of the influence of the western part of the world especially when and how everybody should celebrate Christmas, which is most likely in a modern way. This allows the environment to take part to play a very important role, as depicted in the image. However, this may not only be confined within the physical environment. A modern apporach might call for a great contribution of the business aspect too. The western part of the world is very influential and look forward to initiate a business of interest that will surely guarantee of the inception of commerce and trade during the Christmas celebration. Prior to pointing this issue relevant to the stated research question, the inclusion of the idea of the critical research under the sociological context might contribute a more meaningful understanding before anything else. The Sociological Context - The Case of Critical Research The illustrated image is just a part of the entire research question, providing the remarkable hint or answer at some point. Does Christmas in New Zealand has religious significance? This is a kind of research question that at certain level the given image can answer. Aside from this point, the image may specifically depict the notion of the need to understand the linked history that it represents. This is one particular priority of a critical research (Tolich and Davidson, 2011; Kirkman and Moloney, 2005). However, a critical research may not only prioritise history, but it may also emphasise institutions and personal experiences (Bryman, 2007; Bryman, 2008; Christensen et al., 2010). The image closely depicts the personal experience of Sarah Ell, the author of the book with image that may have fully captured the stand of the entire institution of Kiwi in New Zealand on the celebration of Christmas. In this case, there is an actual need to totally unpack what is hidden behind the image. This therefore will have to require a research agenda that will be contextualised by a structural concern like class, which may possibly involve the ideas of advanced-global capitalism, and multinational capital and trade (Chall, 1997; Wilfrid and Zanden, 1996). This is to consider the point that Sarah Ell is trying to showcase in her book’s cover. Ell herself is trying to present 100 Christmas images in this book and one of them is the one found in the cover. However, by eliminating any hint of words that might give a person an idea about Christmas on the given image, one may eventually not recognise the original viewed concept of what Christmas is all about. This will call for a meaningful understanding including a critical investigation as to why the depicted image might have been considered an integral component of what Christmas is all about despite the fact that the given photo does not specifically talk about the birth of Jesus Christ or any relevant ideas associated with the Savior’s birth. Instead, it is merely a picture of the season linked to the time when Christmas has to be celebrated across the world. This calls for a more meaningful analysis, but the entire idea of finding the most appropriate reason might requie a special or sophisticated understanding as to be initiated through a research activity. Since this issue is sociological in its context, the employment of concept pertaining to socialogical research study is highly applicable. In order to be directed to the point of understanding to find whether Christmas in New Zealand still have religious significance would mean finding important things or evidences that might prove or illustrate how the recent celebration of Christmas in New Zealand departed from the original normal celebration in the past. This eventually will adhere to the point of understanding the history of Christmas celebration as the basic priority of the critical research. This point will have to consider the ideas on how everything might have to be celebrated during Christmas in the past. This therefore will lead to the observation of the way how everything is celebrated during Christmas in New Zealand today. The point of comparison will then have to follow. This point of comparison will truly be remarkable. Although not depicted in the image, the concept of the structural concerns like advanced global capitalism, and multinational capital and trade cannot be totally overlooked. Considering that it is not more of a Christmas from its historical point of view that the image depicts, one can therefore be free to claim that the image might be too commercialised or in a modern detail. One can see in the shown photo below, as purely a western concept of the season of Christmas, and not the celebration of Christmas with Biblical connotations. Thus, another point of consideration in the critical research regarding the stated research question is to take into account the understanding of knowledge. This is to further illustrate the assumption relevant to the concept of critical research. This type of research has the remarkable assumption to change the world, challenge common sense and provide a forum for resistance (Morrell, 2004; Sprague, 2005; Morse, 1994). In other words, employing the critical research analysis relevant to the given image will have to require higher form of thinking that in this case will have to consider the linked history, institutions, personal experiences and the like. For this reason, it is important to critically analyse the relevance of critical research assumption as far as the chosen image depicting Christmas celebration in New Zealand is concerned. One assumption of the critical research is to change the world. To literally back up this point, one must consider that the given image may be the picture of reality of Christmas in New Zealand. However, once a critical research study will be initiated particulary when it deals with the history, institutions and personal experiences, the actual view about Christmas may possibly change too, because a new form of knowledge will have to be created along the process. This will lead to challenging the common sense. Challenging the common sense requires the fundamental knowledge so as to ensure appreciation of the given information. Here where the need to create an environment for resistance is necessary, because it is here at this point that various ideas will meet half way that could possibly resolve the argument for as long new insights will possibly arise. In the chosen photo, the new generation of people in New Zealand may possibly come up with a strong resistance of the idea that the depicted image simply does not show any religious significance associated with Christmas. However, as long as the assumption of the critical research takes over along the process, the generation of relevant views concerning any issues of great consideration will be unveiled. Conclusion Critical research in the sociological context is a tool that will truly engage a sociologist into a deeper understanding of meanings of issues. In particular, the use of an image in the work at hand to illustrate a specified research question is a simple case of application. There can be so much to tell about a photograph, for it truly paints a thousand words. Moreover, it involves social matters for great consideration, which as shown in this article provides the opportunity to illustrate a research question and how it can be possibly addressed with the aid of the concepts in social science like the critical research in the sociological context. References Bryman, A. (2007) Qualitative research 2. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage. Bryman, A. (2008) Social research methods. Oxford ; New York, Oxford University Press. Chall, L. P. (1997) ‘Sociology’ Sociological Abstracts 45(2): 6446- 6447. Christensen, L. B., B. Johnson, et al. (2010) Research methods, design, and analysis. Boston, Allyn & Bacon. Kirkman, A., Moloney, P. (2005) Sexuality down under: social and historical perspectives, Dunedin: University of Otago Press. Morrell, E. (2004) Becoming critical researchers: Literacy and empowerment for urban youth, New York, New York: Peter Lang. Morse, J. M. (1994) Critical issues in qualitative research methods, London: SAGE. Sprague, J. (2005) Feminist methodologies for critical researchers: Bridging differences, Oxford: Rowman Altamira. Tolich, M., and Davidson, C. (2011) Getting started: An introduction to research methods, Auckland: Pearson. Wilfrid, J., and Zanden, V. (1996) Sociology: The core, 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Read More