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Identity and Nation-Building: Intercultural Reading of Isaiah 56–66 in the Ghanaian Context


The worrisome growth of nationalism and ethnicism worldwide emphasizes the distance between state and nation, geographical borders, and the sense of a shared common project, which is at the heart of nation-building. The problem is not new, as the ancient writings of Israel testify. The question of what constitutes Israelite identity is central to post-exilic books, where exclusive-isolationistic and inclusive attitudes are clearly contraposed.
Against this background, the paper explores the relationship between identity construction and nation-building, through an intercultural reading of Isaiah 56–66. Furthermore, it examines the relevance of the literary unit for contemporary Ghanaian society where ethnic divisions seem to compromise nation-building and development. The text challenges Ghanaian Christians to employ a language of inclusion; to recognize the ‘other’ as a specific message of God; to go beyond accidental attributes such as ethnicity, gender, or race, to discover the image and likeness of God reflected in her/his countenance.