African Biblical Studies: Unmasking Embedded Racism and Colonialism in Biblical Studies

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Andrew M. Mbuvi argues that African biblical studies is a vibrant and important emerging discipline that benefits from the colonial project. He argues that interpretive approaches established within racist and colonialist matrices continue to dominate the discipline, perpetuating racialized interpretive methodology and frameworks. Mbuvi makes the case that the continued marginalization of non-western approaches is a reflection of the continuing colonialist structure and presuppositions in biblical studies. African postcolonial methodologies and studies offer an alternative framework for the discipline that prioritizes readings from the perspective of the marginalized and oppressed and posits the need for biblical interpretation that is anti-colonial and anti-racist.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 20 October 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Andrew M. Mbuvi presents African Biblical Studies as a dynamic and significant field that emerges as a unique discipline, while also utilizing its postcolonial lens to critique biblical studies for its enduring racial and imperialistic tendencies. Mbuvi argues that the emergence of biblical studies as a discipline in the West coincides with and benefits from the establishment of the colonial project, which encompassed African colonization. At the core of the colonial project lies the Bible, not only as propagated by missionaries who often held racialized views, aimed at converting "heathens in distant lands," but also as the text used to justify colonial violence through racialized justifications. Interpretive approaches established within these racist and colonialist frameworks continue to dominate the discipline, perpetuating racialized interpretive methodologies and frameworks.

On these grounds, Mbuvi makes a compelling case that the continued marginalization of non-Western approaches in biblical studies reflects the enduring colonialist structure and presuppositions within the field. African Biblical Studies, by exposing and critiquing these oppressive tendencies, also presents how African postcolonial methodologies and studies, which prioritize readings from the perspectives of marginalized and oppressed individuals, offer an alternative framework for the discipline. These readings, while challenging and undermining the predominantly white Euro-American approaches and their ingrained prejudices, raise important questions about the biblical text itself. They advocate for biblical interpretation that is anti-colonial and anti-racist, seeking to decolonize the discipline and promote a more inclusive and equitable understanding of the Bible.

In conclusion, African Biblical Studies emerges as a vital and transformative field that challenges the dominant narratives and methodologies within biblical studies. By leveraging its postcolonial lens, it provides a platform for marginalized voices and perspectives to be heard, promoting a more inclusive and equitable understanding of the Bible. Through its critical engagement with the colonial past and its commitment to anti-colonial and anti-racist interpretations, African Biblical Studies contributes to the ongoing decolonization of knowledge and the pursuit of justice and equality in the world.

Weight: 532g
Dimension: 164 x 241 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780567707710