Missionaries and the Colonial State: Radicalism and Governance in Rwanda and Burundi, 1900-1972

Catholic and Protestant missionaries in Rwanda and Burundi had competing agendas, challenging the colonial state's authority. The archives of the White Fathers Catholic missionary order and the British Protestant Church Missionary Society reveal their impact between 1900 and 1972. Missionaries were more committed and influential actors, but their inability to manage the mass demand for education undermined their aims.

Format: Hardback
Length: 250 pages
Publication date: 12 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The archives of the White Fathers Catholic missionary order in Rome and Paris are carefully examined alongside primary sources created by the British Protestant Church Missionary Society to investigate their influence between 1900 and 1972 in Rwanda and Burundi. It is revealed that the colonial state was weaker than commonly believed, and susceptible to external radical influences. A significant driving force behind this radicalism was the denominational competition between Catholic and Protestant missionaries. It is demonstrated that the colonial state in both kingdoms functioned as a weak, reactive agent rather than a structuring force of power. This volume establishes that missionaries were more committed and influential actors, yet their inability to meet the overwhelming demand for education they sought to provide ultimately hindered the realization of their objectives.

Missionaries and the Colonial State is an invaluable resource for historians of Christianity, specialists in Belgian Africa, and scholars of colonialism. It sheds light on the complex dynamics between missionaries, the colonial state, and the broader social and political contexts of the time. By exploring the competing agendas and influences of Catholic and Protestant missionaries, this book challenges prevailing narratives and provides a fresh perspective on the histories of Rwanda and Burundi, as well as the colonial relationship between state and mission.

Weight: 639g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367704018