
Visions for Racial Equality
David Clement Scott and the Struggle for Justice in Nineteenth-Century Malawi
Harri Englund(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 4. July 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
326 pages
978-1-009-07705-7 (ISBN)
Description
Focusing on David Clement Scott, the head of the Church of Scotland mission in Malawi, who came to see Europeans as learners in Africa, this innovative book narrates the rise and demise of a unique vision for racial equality in nineteenth-century Africa. By immersing himself in the vernacular language and institutions, Scott developed a theology of reversals to pursue justice in race relations. It set him on a collision course with the Church, colonial government and the White commercial interests spearheaded by Cecil Rhodes. Harri Englund shows how Scott's struggle for justice was as much epistemic as political and spiritual - a vision for the future in which White and Black would thrive in their mutual recognition as co-knowers. From linguistic translation to conflicts over land and taxation, from slave trade to personal intimacies, Visions for Racial Equality weaves a rich tapestry of themes in the life and times of a little-known visionary.
Reviews / Votes
'Harri Englund has produced a thoroughly researched and insightful book on the history of early colonial Malawi. He explores the inter-relationships between the church, the colonial state, the capitalist class, and the Africans. Revolving around the work of Rev. David Clement Scott, of the Church of Scotland Mission, readers will appreciate how the spread of Christianity, as well as the operations of the state were 'negotiated' processes involving the 'civilized' Europeans and the colonized Africans.' Paul C. Banda, Tarleton State University 'This is a brilliantly original, theoretically innovative, and descriptively rich biography of the life of the nineteenth-century Central African Scottish missionary, David Clement Scott. Englund uses an impressive range of sources to write about this influential and unusual intellectual, evangeliser, and advocate for African rights in an age when they were increasingly under threat.' Joel Cabrita, Stanford University, California 'This is a sophisticated exploration of the work of a nineteenth-century Scottish missionary in Malawi and his vision for an inter-racial Christian community that also recognized the validity of African knowledge. This groundbreaking book sets a new standard for the study of the twin struggles for racial and epistemic justice, and should become required reading in African and global studies.' Elias C. Mandala, University of Rochester, New York 'Recommended.' D. Jacobsen, ChoiceMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
435 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-07705-7 (9781009077057)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Harri Englund
Visions for Racial Equality
David Clement Scott and the Struggle for Justice in Nineteenth-Century Malawi
Book
02/2022
Cambridge University Press
€102.50
Shipment within 15-20 days

Harri Englund
Visions for Racial Equality
David Clement Scott and the Struggle for Justice in Nineteenth-Century Malawi
E-Book
02/2022
Cambridge University Press
€36.99
Available for download
Person
Harri Englund is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. A Fellow of the British Academy, he has three decades of research experience in Southern and Central Africa. He is the author of From War to Peace on the Mozambique-Malawi Borderland (2002), Prisoners of Freedom: Human Rights and the African Poor (2006) which was awarded the Amaury Talbot Prize, Human Rights and African Airwaves: Mediating Equality on the Chichewa Radio (2011) and Gogo Breeze: Zambia's Radio Elder and the Voices of Free Speech (2018).
Content
1. Introduction; 2. Among the wild Scotsmen; 3. Champagne and slaves; 4. The universal vernacular; 5. Frightful libel upon humanity; 6. Rhodes must not rise; 7. A future foreclosed; 8. Grief never wears out; 9. Liberal translations; 10. The rest is history.