Excellent4.8 out of 5On Trustpilot
  1. Liberation Theology/
  2. Black Theology

Walking the Rift

by Joan Plubell Mattia

  • Paperback
  • Publisher: Pickwick Publications
  • 15.3 x 22.7 x 1.6 cm

£20.62

Free UK Delivery

Available - Usually dispatched within 4 days

Buying for a school or church? Upgrade to a FREE Eden Advance Account

Free delivery on orders over £10

The Victorian encounter with Africa contains many micro-narratives that call for a questioning of an old consensus. Tentative assumptions as to the motives of early missionaries and colonial personnel often prove less than satisfactory due to stereotypes and unexplored archives. The need for new master narratives that move beyond the old paradigms of Western expansion and African victimization are being called for by scholars of the Global North and South--narratives that allow room for strong evidence of an egalitarian joint endeavor and African cultural vitality without avoiding the investment in imperialism practiced by colonial personnel. Based on extensive archival research, Walking the Rift advocates an alternative proposal--missionaries and administrators caught in the grinding of contradictory opposites. As a professional artist, Alfred Robert Tucker captured this tug-of-war on canvas, but similar dichotomies are found in his approach to marriage contracts, slavery, mission and church organizational structure, alliance with the colonial government and African partnership. Tucker is a representative figure--a prism to shine light on those involved in the British East African project. Like many in the early encounter with Africa, he was neither a consistent imperialist nor a complete egalitarian idealist, but operated in both spheres without creating a third. ""Demythologizing the pseudo giants and the corresponding pseudo dwarfs of the imperialist era is the working principle of Joan Mattia's fascinating study. In the end, there are neither dwarfs nor giants, but human beings. And at that point the talking begins."" --Werner Ustorf, Professor Emeritus, Birmingham University ""Contemporary versions of colonial-era mission activity often come in the form of international aid and development efforts. Those involved who are honest with themselves will experience tensions of the sort Walking the Rift identifies in the life of Bishop Alfred Tucker. By examining meaning-making behind this nineteenth-century missionary's actions, Mattia's fine work offers guidance for current international workers uncovering their own cultural assumptions--and wisdom for living with what they find."" --Elizabeth C. Parsons, Author of What Price for Privatization? Cultural Encounter with Development Policy on the Zambian Copperbelt ""Though I was born a full 35 years after his death, my parents named me Tucker, after East Africa's third Anglican bishop, by then already a legend. When my grandfather Yeremiya Jagenda died in Boga, Congo, while on a mission there with Apolo Kivebulaya, Bishop Tucker helped my father to train as a primary school teacher. . . . Joan Mattia's discerning study explores the nuances and contradictions with deep respect for one who was both a man of his time and well ahead of it. I commend this book."" --John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu, Archbishop of York Joan Plubell Mattia, formerly Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, now teaches African History and Communications at the University of Debrecen in eastern Hungary. She received her PhD from the University of Birmingham and has been a Visiting Lecturer at Chamuhawi Training Center, Mpwapwa and St. Philips College, Kongwa, both in Tanzania. She is the author of ""Missionary Art"" in Anglican and Episcopal History.
Walking the Rift and Is God Colour-Blind?
Is God Colour-Blind?Walking the Rift

  • Author

    Joan Plubell Mattia

  • Book Format

    Paperback

  • Publisher

    Pickwick Publications

  • Published

    May 2017

  • Weight

    318g

  • Dimensions

    15.3 x 22.7 x 1.6 cm

  • ISBN

    9781532600746

  • ISBN-10

    1532600747

  • Eden Code

    4938196

Over 14,000 churches and schools have upgraded to an Advance Account and we‘d love to welcome you into this free program. We know that church volunteers and school teachers often use their own money, then have claim it back on on an expense form. We can take all of that hassle away by invoicing your church or school directly and delivering your order straight away.

Opening an account is quick and easy, with most accounts being approved and setup within a few hours of filling in the form below (on weekdays, not weekends). As soon as we‘ve approved the application we‘ll send you an email to let you know that its done.

Upgrade to a FREE Eden Advance Account
Write a review
      Ask a question
      Open Doors Ad