The Soul of the Luba: W.F.P. Burton, Missionary Ethnography and Belgian Colonial Science Export

@article{citeulike:3806311, abstract = {This article examines the motivations, institutions and processes involved in colonial knowledge formation through a study of the missionary William Burton. It considers Burton’s work on the Luba of Katanga in relation to the practices of Belgian colonial science and Anglo-Saxon social anthropology. The essay discusses why missionaries engaged in ethnographic research when they were so intent on changing the customs and beliefs they described and why Burton in particular did not get the recognition he deserved as an authority on his subject. The article charts Burton’s shifting attitude toward the Luba, showing how he moved from an aggressive intrusive mode of research to a position of greater sympathy as he came to consider their cultural riches through study of language, proverb and folklore. Consideration of the second phase of Burton’s research opens up discussion of the missionary origins of the disciplines of African theology and African religious studies.}, author = {Maxwell, David}, citeulike-article-id = {3806311}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02757200802517216}, comment = {: )}, doi = {10.1080/02757200802517216}, journal = {History and Anthropology}, keywords = {colonialism, diaspora, ethnography, got, modernity}, number = {4}, pages = {325--351}, posted-at = {2008-12-18 17:41:03}, priority = {2}, publisher = {Routledge}, title = {The Soul of the Luba: W.F.P. Burton, Missionary Ethnography and Belgian Colonial Science}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02757200802517216}, volume = {19}, year = {2008} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:3806311 L3 - citeulike-article-id:3806311 N2 - This article examines the motivations, institutions and processes involved in colonial knowledge formation through a study of the missionary William Burton. It considers Burton’s work on the Luba of Katanga in relation to the practices of Belgian colonial science and Anglo-Saxon social anthropology. The essay discusses why missionaries engaged in ethnographic research when they were so intent on changing the customs and beliefs they described and why Burton in particular did not get the recognition he deserved as an authority on his subject. The article charts Burton’s shifting attitude toward the Luba, showing how he moved from an aggressive intrusive mode of research to a position of greater sympathy as he came to consider their cultural riches through study of language, proverb and folklore. Consideration of the second phase of Burton’s research opens up discussion of the missionary origins of the disciplines of African theology and African religious studies. IS - 4 JF - History and Anthropology EP - 351 TI - The Soul of the Luba: W.F.P. Burton, Missionary Ethnography and Belgian Colonial Science PB - Routledge VL - 19 SP - 325 KW - colonialism KW - diaspora KW - ethnography KW - got KW - modernity N1 - : ) AU - Maxwell, David PY - 2008/// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02757200802517216 ER -