The Christian Church in Colonial Context: Case Studies and Theories on Othering and Inclusion

Dear Colleagues,

Christianity’s connection to colonialism remains a controversial topic. Arguably, the global nature of contemporary Christianity—and its current status as the largest world religion—would not have been possible without the colonial expansions of European powers during the modern era. The flipside of this point is that the church and missionary institutions have retrospectively been identified as facilitating actors in the colonial incursions of European/Western powers into other parts of the world.

Much has been written in favor of and against the colonial captivity paradigm of Christianity during that era. In more recent times, the very term ‘colonial’ has acquired new semantic content, with decolonial discourses emerging and new initiatives being launched on university campuses across the world. The polemical nature of much of this discourse suggests that colonialism, at least in part, remains with us. Therefore, the potentially ongoing connection between Christianity and the colonial also remains a subject for further inquiry.

This collection invites proposals on broadly conceived topics related to the Christian church and colonialism. A diverse range of theoretical approaches is welcomed and encouraged; however, studies rooted in case studies that address this broad topic with nuance and the ability to engender new perspectives are of particular interest. We recognize that this is not a new theme of investigation by any means. However, this Special Issue hopes to add new layers of insight and complexity to what remains a sensitive and important area of research in theological and historical scholarship.  

Dr. Retief Müller
Prof. Dr. Frieder Ludwig
Guest Editors

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