Objectives
After completing the course, the student should be able to:
- describe the historical background and typical features of missionary work in the colonized world,
- critically discuss and explain the outcomes of missionary encounters in colonial contexts,
- describe the impact of missionary activity on a few indigenous religions, with special attention paid to the rise of revitalization movements,
- relate area specific features to worldwide patterns of religious encounters during the relevant period.
Content
The main focus of the course is on the various encounters between the religions of colonial empires and indigenous religious traditions. The content of the course revolves around detailed empirical knowledge about specific confrontations, dialogues, conversions, and counterreactions in the colonial world, as well as around scholarly efforts to generalize and identify recurrent patterns. Close attention is paid to theological motivations, proselyting strategies, and life stance outcomes of specific missionary work, as well as to the shifting theological responses and counterstrategies of indigenous
faiths.