Missionaries

Question 1

Pre-colonisation

Answer 1

14th c. in china and india
Jordanus de Saverac: 1321-30 in Quilon, India
Franciscus Xavier: 1541-52 in india and japan – one of the most prolific missionaries of the era
Portuguese in congo: king of Kongo was converted to Christianity in 1491 - his grandson even became a bishop
Then Spanish in in latin America and religious emigrants in north America

Question 2

Decline in 18th c

Answer 2

General trend: caused by the enlightenment
Some congregations were even abolished (Jesuits in 1773)
Effects in the colonies: less missionary activity

Question 3

Obsession w local cultures

India

Answer 3

Interest was then placed in fascination/preservation of local cultures
E.g. India:
- Colonisers would learn local languages
- Reestablishment of local social structures
- Respect for literary/religious texts that were as old as European ones
- Political (nawabs and maharajas) and judicial (code of gentoo laws)

Also Rousseau’s admiration of the ‘noble savage’ for being purer and more authentic

Question 4

Resurrection of Christianity in 19th c

Effects

Answer 4

Romanticism: Popularisation of religion + new devotion and congregations
Commerce and industrial revolution: new markets would be opened through free trade
Abolitionism: came with missionary activities
Darwinism and scientific racism: hierarchy of races that put whites at the top, no more fascination w native cultures

Question 5

From fascination in 18th to civilisation in 19th (e.g British india)

Language, customs, religion

Answer 5

Imposition of English language on local elites: created a class of people that would be Indian in colour, but English in ‘opinions, morals, and intellect’
Foundation of various English language schools from 1816 onwards
1835: English replaced persian (the language of the Mughals) as the official language
Also fought some ‘barbaric customs’ but not the more widespread ones - e.g. sati (widow burning)
Missionaries allowed from 1813 onwards

Question 6

Active in many places

Answer 6

e.g. Belgian missionaries in india from mid 19th c onwards
Jesuits in Bengal, Capuchines in Punjab, Carmelites in south india
Different colonies would also be divided between different congregations

Question 7

New Catholic institutions

Answer 7

Scheut in 1862: theobold verbist – Belgian mission in china but also in Philippines, Mongolia and congo
Pere blancs: active in Algiers from 1868

Question 8

New protestant institutions

Answer 8

Britian – methodist, London, church missionary societies
Germany – German mission society
Also Denmark, Sweden, US

Question 9

Wives

Answer 9

Wives of protestant priests: roles in domestics, medicine, education
Had access to certain communal places that men didn’t

Question 10

Missionary nuns

Answer 10

E.g. Soeurs blanches (algiers, 1870)
Women would eventually make up the majority of missionaries: In india from 1840s onwards and congo from 1930s onwards

Question 11

Missionary activities

Answer 11

Religious: Construction of churches
Social work: hospitals, medicine distribution, orphanages (vulnerable people were more likely to be converted)
Education: village, industrial, agricultural schools

Question 12

State and church relations

Answer 12

France: separated religion from education, missionaries weren’t allowed to teach
GB, Belgium, Germany: only gave subsidies to missions
Congo: 5000 mission schools and only a few state schools

Question 13

Success?

Answer 13

Little progress in hindu, buddhist or muslim areas
Stronger impact in poor regions (mostly with tribal populations and social outcasts in America and africa)

Question 14

Positive effects

Answer 14

Social and economic upheaval: humanitarian and philanthropic motivations, essential in education and healthcare

Question 15

Negative effects

Answer 15

Encouraged a Eurocentric worldview that contributed to a system of cultural superiority Many of the positives also stem from a motivation of religious conversion

Question 16

Sexual abuse

Answer 16

Hypothesis: problematic priests were sent away to the colonies in order to deescalate allegations at home, a degree of systematic sexual abuse

Question 17

Monologue or dialogue?

Answer 17

Missions existed as a Eurocentric imposition of religion and cultural values: contributed to the destruction of indigenous cultures
But: also produced a massive scale exchange: resulted in a boom of Christianity across the world, not just unilateral
Christianity was also incorporated into local cultural frameworks and religions, forming cross-cultural amalgamations
Apparently missions helped strengthen many non-christian religions through competition
Local religious leaders could also make use of new infrastructure (communication, transportation) and the spread of printed texts

Question 18

Imperial?

Answer 18

Coordination of imperial government policies and accompanied explorers/settlers

Cannot be reduced to just colonisation: existed before and after imperial processes (e.g. Germans were already sending missions to gold coast in 1828)
They were also sent to places that were outside of colonial territory (e.g. Belgians in china and Philippines
Non-colonial countries sent missions (Sweden, Switzerland)