Seeking Reconciliation in a Context of Coloniality: A Study of White People’s Approaches in a Multicultural South African Church

How do white people handle their own dominance while striving for racial reconciliation in a concrete church context in Cape Town? Persisting effects of colonialism present a challenge to reconciliation efforts in settler-colonial societies. This book draws particular attention to the coloniality of knowledge in multicultural churches and denominations. Despite its ability to connect, English is here regarded as an obstacle to deeper cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.

 

The findings of this ethnographic study reveal how – motivated by a ‘Hope for transformation from within’ – racial integration often took precedence over equity. Eurocentric leanings were found to be both acknowledged and downplayed. With the emphasis on inclusion and upliftment, the equally sought-after cultural diversity was limited by the inadvertent setting up of boundaries, particularly regarding language and theology.

 

Grohmann concludes that the perceptiblebut not prominent mode of choosing vulnerability, i.e. relating on other people’s terms, constitutes a promising alternative to conventional ways of tackling inequalities. This decolonial approach to reconciliation would have the potential to advance both equity and equality.

Dr. Marcus Grohmann is a post-doctoral researcher at the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology at Stellenbosch University. He explores how the coloniality of knowledge impacts on post-apartheid reconciliation as well as on relationships in the Church.