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Coercive agency : James Henderson's Lovedale, 1906-1930

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dc.contributor.advisor Saayman W.
dc.contributor.author Duncan, Graham Alexander
dc.date.accessioned 2015-01-23T04:24:39Z
dc.date.available 2015-01-23T04:24:39Z
dc.date.issued 2000-09
dc.identifier.citation Duncan, Graham Alexander (2000) Coercive agency : James Henderson's Lovedale, 1906-1930, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/16724> en
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10500/16724
dc.description.abstract Any society is by nature coercive and its institutions are no exception. This was true of mission institutions in South Africa. While acknowledging the invaluable contribution of mission education to the development of black South Africans predominantly, it is clear that Lovedale Missionary Institution exemplifies the concept and reality of a ‘total institution’ which was as susceptible to the problems of power relations as any institution, secular or religious. Idris Shah’s concept of ‘coercive agency’ is apposite for this study. Lovedale’s foundation was laid and developed by the first two Principals. In a very real sense, it was perfected by the third Principal of Lovedale, James Henderson who, like his predecessors, emphasised the ultimate aim of conversion through a thorough process of character formation which infiltrated every aspect of life at Lovedale, especially discipline and the programme of industrial education. Those who studied there internalised its ethos in a manner which could not simply be discarded on leaving the Institution for it had become part of their identity, their indigenous personality and traditional life-style having been largely obliterated and reconstructed according to the ideological ideals of western Christian civilisation and European colonialism. Coercive agency was successful in that it effectively encouraged adaptation to missionary ideology. However, this was not an irreversible process for many Lovedale students came to reject the mores of the religion and education they received both during their stay at Lovedale and in later life in a variety of ways as they challenged and resisted the effects of the coercive agency of internalisation. Institutionalisation is, by nature, resistant to change as can be seen in the policies of the respective Principals. Yet, Henderson was able to initiate change while maintaining essential continuity of purpose. Consequently, black people were alienated by a process of ‘exclusion’. The Christian principles of justice, love and peace have a universal application and are appropriate tools for the development of a new model of education in South African society whose mission is to work towards reconciliation between individuals, within society and with the God who wishes to ‘embrace’ the totality of creation. en
dc.format.extent 1 online resource (ix, 354 leaves)
dc.language.iso en
dc.subject Character formation en
dc.subject Coercive agency en
dc.subject Conversion en
dc.subject Embrace en
dc.subject Exclusion en
dc.subject William Govan en
dc.subject Hegemony en
dc.subject James Henderson en
dc.subject Ideology en
dc.subject Industrial education en
dc.subject Institutionalisation en
dc.subject Lovedale en
dc.subject Mission education en
dc.subject Power en
dc.subject Resistance en
dc.subject James Stewart en
dc.subject Total institutions en
dc.subject Symbolic universes en
dc.subject.ddc 371.0715234
dc.subject.lcsh Henderson, James en
dc.subject.lcsh Lovedale Institution en
dc.subject.lcsh Free Church of Scotland -- Missions -- South Africa -- Lovedale en
dc.subject.lcsh Missions -- South Africa -- Lovedale en
dc.subject.lcsh Religious education -- South Africa -- Lovedale en
dc.subject.lcsh Church schools -- South Africa -- Lovedale en
dc.title Coercive agency : James Henderson's Lovedale, 1906-1930 en
dc.type Thesis
dc.description.department Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology
dc.description.degree D. Th. (Missiology)


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