Slavery, Human Rights and Visas

A case study of yet unpublished material from the French colonial archives shows that the administration carefully watched the work of Christian missionaries in Cameroon. This surveillance stemmed from the administration’s fear of local rebellion due to the missionaries’ influence. In the North, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mission studies
Main Author: Drønen, Tomas Sundnes (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2016
In: Mission studies
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Cameroon / France / Colony / Det Norske Misjonsselskap / Mission (international law / History 1840-1950
RelBib Classification:KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history
KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history
KBE Northern Europe; Scandinavia
KBG France
KBN Sub-Saharan Africa
RJ Mission; missiology
Further subjects:B Cameroon history of mission French colonial administration Norwegian missionaries Fulbe slavery
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:A case study of yet unpublished material from the French colonial archives shows that the administration carefully watched the work of Christian missionaries in Cameroon. This surveillance stemmed from the administration’s fear of local rebellion due to the missionaries’ influence. In the North, the fear was that Christian mission would provoke the previously militarily powerful Fulbe to a rebellion similar to those the French had experienced in their North African colonies. The Norwegian missionaries took an active stance against local slavery, and visa applications for nine new missionaries in 1950 became the impetus for intensive surveillance from the French administration. The visa struggle and the struggle over domestic slavery also show that the administration had established a political culture that only reluctantly gave priority to serious human rights issues over respect for local traditions, and that they had established a regime of strict control over religious activities.
ISSN:1573-3831
Contains:In: Mission studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15733831-12341463