Historiography and ideology in the (mission) history of Christianity in Africa

Abstract

Writing history in the African context demands commitment; it must be contextual and integrally related to the mission of Christianity. This necessitates a reconsideration of historiography. The ‘old’ historiography was premised on the positive value accorded to missions and missionaries as well as a positive view of colonialism. The ‘new’ approach is eclectic and focuses on dispossessed communities. It predates the arrival of Western European civilisation and focuses on ‘black’ experience. All of this necessitates a consideration of ideology which has both positive and negative aspects.