Reading :: Of Revelation and Revolution Volume One: Christianity, Colonialism, and Consciousness in South Africa

Of Revelation and Revolution, Volume 1: Christianity, Colonialism, and Consciousness in South Africa
By Jean and John Comaroff

In this thick volume, two anthropologists examine the early phases of British missionary work in South Africa, among the Southern Tswana (1820-1920). Specifically, they are interested in "a plurality of 'cultures'—that is, of 'systems' of symbols, values, and meanings which are reified and objectified in the course of colonization itself" (p.28). They see colonization as a dialectic in which British missionaries and colonizers introduced changes, the Tswana had their own ripostes, and the two cultures became objectified in relation to each other (p.206). That is, the British were changed in this process just as the Tswana were. 

The Comaroffs argue that the Tswana had agency and participated in the dialectic—colonization didn't just happen to them, it was a process of mutual struggle. But at the same time, the Comaroffs are not arguing that the dialectic was equal or that the Tswana chose to be colonized. Rather, they want to disrupt the idea of colonization as a unidirectional imposition of culture, By examining how Christianity (which has a history of malleability—think about how Samhain was transformed into All Hallow's Eve) was sloppily repackaged in terms of Tswana theology, or how colonists began to adopt Tswana architecture and clothing, they examine larger questions of culture and power.

The book is much more complex than I can delve into in a quick review, so I'll end by saying: If you are interested in issues of culture, colonization, and power, it's definitely worth a read. However, nonspecialists may find it to be tough going.