Labour & Christianity in the Mission

This book explores the active roles of African mission workers in shaping their communities, challenging traditional narratives of missionary work. Labour & Christianity in the Mission offers a fresh perspective.

In Labour & Christianity in the Mission, Michelle Liebst delves into the complex interactions between African mission workers and European missionaries, challenging the conventional narrative that depicts Africans solely as passive recipients of missionary efforts. Instead, this study highlights how these workers actively engaged with missions, asserting their roles not merely as beneficiaries of humanitarian aid but as integral participants in the labor dynamics that shaped their communities. The book emphasizes that missions served as significant workplaces, where African labor was both exploited and essential to the missionaries' objectives.

Focusing on the Anglican Universities' Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Liebst examines the dual nature of the relationships between missionaries and African workers. While missionaries often viewed themselves as 'workers' in a spiritual sense, they simultaneously imposed structures that affected the livelihoods of those they labeled as 'helpers.' This dynamic reveals a complex interplay of support and subjugation, as African mission workers navigated their roles in education, domestic work, and beyond, often under coercive circumstances.

By analyzing these historical interactions, Labour & Christianity in the Mission sheds light on the broader socio-economic impacts of missionary activities in Africa. Liebst's research not only provides a nuanced understanding of the labor relations within missions but also situates these dynamics within the larger context of political transformations occurring in the region. This innovative perspective significantly enriches our comprehension of the historical role of Christianity in Africa and its lasting implications for African societies.