Savage Systems: Colonialism and Comparative Religion in Southern AfricaSavage Systems examines the emergence of the concepts of "religion"and "religions" on colonial frontiers. The book offers a detailed analysis of the ways in which European travelers, missionaries, settlers, and government agents, as well as indigenous Africans, engaged in the comparison of alternative religious ways of life as one dimension of intercultural contact. Focusing primarily on ninteenth-century frontier relations, David Chidester demonstrates that the terms and conditions for comparison--including a discrouse about "otherness" that were established during this period still remains. A volume in the series Studies in Religion and Culture |
Contents
The Absence of Religion | 11 |
Comparisons | 26 |
Children of Abraham | 46 |
Permanent Children | 56 |
3 | 73 |
Missionary Theories of Religion | 87 |
Settler Theories of Religion | 94 |
Zulu Religion | 118 |
Satanic Comparative Religion | 184 |
Contested Appropriations | 192 |
Animal Emblems | 199 |
Sacred Animals | 214 |
Laughter and Pain | 225 |
Comparative Strategies | 233 |
The Unanchored Mentality | 243 |
New Frontiers | 253 |
John William Colenso | 129 |
Wilhelm Heinrich Immanuel Bleek | 141 |
Henry Callaway | 152 |
The Unknown God | 168 |
Further Denials | 178 |
Notes | 267 |
| 279 | |
| 315 | |
| 318 | |
Other editions - View all
Savage Systems: Colonialism and Comparative Religion in Southern Africa David Chidester Limited preview - 1996 |
Common terms and phrases
absence According African analysis ancestor anchor ancient appeared argued Bantu basic beliefs and practices biblical Bleek Boers British Bushmen Callaway Cape century chief Christian claimed Colenso colonial comparative religion comparativists comparison concluded context cultural customs denial developed discovered discovery divine eastern Cape emerged established European evidence example existence fear forms frontier gion Hottentots human idea identified ignorance indigenous insisted interest Jews John Khoikhoi kind knowledge Kolb lacked land language laughter living Mbande mentality mission missionaries Moffat myth Natal native natural Nevertheless northern noted objects observed origin political practices present primitive proposed referred regarded region relations reli religious system reported represented respect ritual Robert Moffat sacred animals similar Society Sotho-Tswana South Africa southern Africa spirit structural suggested superstition symbolic Theal theory thought tion totems traced traditional Travels tribes unknown uNkulunkulu worship Xhosa Zulu
Popular passages
Page 283 - God in History; or, the Progress of Man's Faith in the Moral Order of the World.
Bibliographic information
| Title | Savage Systems: Colonialism and Comparative Religion in Southern Africa Studies in religion and culture |
| Author | David Chidester |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | University of Virginia Press, 1996 |
| ISBN | 0813916674, 9780813916675 |
| Length | 324 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |