Labour & Christianity in the Mission: African Workers in Tanganyika and Zanzibar, 1864-1926

Missionaries in Africa played an important role as workers, not just as beneficiaries of humanitarian philanthropy. Michelle Liebst's study of the Anglican Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries reveals how missionaries supported and undermined the livelihood trajectories of Africans, reflecting broader political transformations. This study adds a critical dimension to our understanding of missions' function and socio-economic impact and the history of Christianity in Africa.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 16 January 2024
Publisher: James Currey

The significant and expansive examination of Africans' engagement with missions, extending beyond their mere status as recipients of humanitarian philanthropy, reveals a hitherto overlooked dimension. It delves into the roles of African mission workers, who played a pivotal part in the early European attempts to exert control over African labor. These workers' responsibilities extended beyond religious and educational pursuits, as they actively engaged in various forms of building and domestic work, often involuntarily. By examining the Anglican Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) in Tanganyika and Zanzibar during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Michelle Liebst sheds light on how missionaries both facilitated and hindered the livelihood trajectories of Africans. This innovative study of missions' role in society adds a critical dimension to our understanding of their functions, socio-economic impact, and the history of Christianity in Africa.

The significance of missions as workplaces has been underestimated, yet missionaries played a pioneering role in the early European endeavors to regulate African labor. The roles of African mission workers went beyond religious and educational responsibilities, as they actively participated in constructing and domestic tasks, often under involuntary circumstances. By focusing on the Anglican Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) in Tanganyika and Zanzibar during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Michelle Liebst unveils how missionaries both supported and undermined the livelihood trajectories of Africans. This groundbreaking study of missions' role in society adds a critical dimension to our understanding of their functions, socio-economic impact, and the history of Christianity in Africa.

The profound and multifaceted exploration of Africans' engagement with missions, transcending their mere role as beneficiaries of humanitarian philanthropy, unveils a hitherto overlooked dimension. It delves into the roles of African mission workers, who played a pivotal part in the early European endeavors to exert control over African labor. These workers' responsibilities extended beyond religious and educational pursuits, as they actively engaged in various forms of building and domestic work, often involuntarily. By examining the Anglican Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) in Tanganyika and Zanzibar during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Michelle Liebst sheds light on how missionaries both facilitated and hindered the livelihood trajectories of Africans. This innovative study of missions' role in society adds a critical dimension to our understanding of their functions, socio-economic impact, and the history of Christianity in Africa.

Weight: 386g
Dimension: 156 x 235 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781847013712