Racial Integration in the Church of Apartheid : A Unity Only God Wants

Marthe Hesselmans

ISBN 10: 9004364633 / ISBN 13: 9789004364639

Published by Brill Nov 2018, 2018

About this Item

Neuware - Racial Integration in the Church of Apartheid relates the struggle of South Africa's Reformed churches to overcome their apartheid past and merge into one multiracial church. It uncovers the potential of faith communities and their limits in untangling religious-nationalist affiliations.

Seller Inventory # 9789004364639

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Racial Integration in the Church of Apartheid : A Unity Only God Wants
• Publisher: Brill Nov 2018
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9004364633
• ISBN 13: 9789004364639
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 234W x 152H x 18D millimeters 234 millimeters width by 152 millimeters height by 18 millimeters depth
• Weight: 386 grams

About this title

Synopsis

In Racial Integration in the Church of Apartheid Marthe Hesselmans uncovers the post-apartheid transformation of South Africa’s Dutch Reformed Church. This church once constituted the religious pillar of the Afrikaner apartheid regime (1948-1994). Today, it seeks to unite the communities it long segregated into one multiracial institution. Few believe this will succeed. A close look inside congregations reveals unexpected stories of reconciliation though. Where South Africans realize they need each other to survive, faith offers common ground – albeit a feeble one. They show the potential, but also the limits of faith communities untangling entrenched national and racial affiliations. Linking South Africa’s post-apartheid transition to religious-nationalist movements worldwide, Hesselmans offers a unique perspective on religion as source of division and healing.

About the Author

Marthe Hesselmans, Ph.D. (2016), Boston University, is senior researcher at the Van Mierlo Foundation in The Hague, Netherlands. She has published articles, essays and policy papers on topics of migration, identity conflicts and dealing with increased diversity and social change.