Bricks, Mortar and Capacity Building

Abstract

WithinThird World Studies in general, andAfrican Studies in particular, cultural encounters have always been pivotal in research. Over the years we have learnt a great deal about the interaction between colonisers and missionaries on the one hand, and those colonised and (possibly) converted on the other. InAfrican Stud-ies, there are debates on colonial stereotypes about ‘Africa’ and ‘Africans’, colonial violence and African resistance to colonialism. The history of missionary soci-eties has likewise received ample attention. The missionaries’ relationship with the colonial state, their influence in areas of religion, medicine and education, their reaction to local beliefs and practices, and local interaction with the mis-sions have been the subject of many historical and anthropological interpreta-tions.