British Scholar: Missions and Empire Etherington Review

Missions and Empire
Norman Etherington, ed., (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 352 pages

Reviewed by: Kirsten V. Walles, University of Texas at Austin

Missions and Empire serves as a new volume in the Companion Series for the Oxford History of the British
Empire (OHBE). The OHBE, an expansive five volume series, provides readers with a solid historical
survey and historiography of the British Empire from its origins through its ends in the second half of the
twentieth century. The Companion Series volumes elaborate on the historical survey provided in the OHBE
by focusing on several different themes often associated with Empire such as gender, slavery, and so on.
The theme of Missions and Empire, therefore, centers upon the establishment of missions and the
proliferation of missionaries throughout Britain’s formal and informal Empire.

Etherington notes that although scholars appear to assume missionary activity as an automatic response
to the expansion of the British Empire, most of the literature does not directly connect the Christian religion
with imperialism. Missions and Empire attempts to correct this oversight. The book follows a chronological
and thematic approach. Chronologically the book aligns itself with the course of the British Empire. The
first chapter looks at the migration of Christianity to British America and the final chapter discusses the
phenomenal growth of Christianity in Africa after decolonization. The thematic discussions, however, make
this book an interesting read.

The missionary movement intersected with several components of the British Empire. This included a
number of recognizable factors such as the establishment of schools and hospitals, and the creation of
dictionaries. The theme of gender also enjoys extended treatment. Foreign missions offered opportunities
for women outside of the rigid structures established at home. Several chapters explore the importance of
the missionary as the representative of their European country. Missionaries often aligned themselves with
ruling chiefs of indigenous territories, thus providing an avenue for trade and negotiation between the local
populations and Europe.

The discussions of missionary activity in the Pacific Isles and Australia prove extremely interesting and
insightful. These chapters highlight the differences between missionary activities in this region compared
with their work in Africa. The reception and proliferation of Christianity in the Pacific Isles differed radically
from that of Africa where entire communities were converted. In Australia, missionaries were noted for their
attempts to protect the indigenous populations from white settlers anxious for land and resources. The
other exciting portion of the book can be found in the chapters exploring the opportunities for women in the
mission field. This is significant primarily because it was in the mission field where women achieved
freedoms normally withheld from them in Victorian Britain.

Missions and Empire is a wonderful addition to the OHBE series. The book continues the style of the series
by providing a sweeping survey of the topic. Therefore, only the basic concepts and chronology are
emphasized. Even within this limited framework, each chapter is filled with several key names and events,
thus providing the reader with a solid foundation for further research. Likewise, the select bibliographies at
the end of each chapter highlight several of the respected scholars and works in the field. Missions and
Empire illustrates the importance of the relationship between the Christian religion and the British Empire
and provides a solid foundation for future study.

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