'A Mighty Obstacle to the Gospel': Basel missionaries, Krobo Women and Conflicting Ideas of Gender and Sexuality
Publication year
2002Author(s)
Source
Journal of Religion in Africa, 32, 2, (2002), pp. 200-230ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor
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Organization
SW OZ RSCR CAOS
Journal title
Journal of Religion in Africa
Volume
vol. 32
Issue
iss. 2
Page start
p. 200
Page end
p. 230
Subject
Dynamics of culture and powerAbstract
To this day, the Krobo people in highly Christianised Southern Ghana celebrate their annual girls' initiation rites (dipo). However, the rites have been a much contested matter ever since the arrival of the Basel missionaries, who strongly objected to dipo. In this paper, I investigate the 19th-century encounter between the Basel missionaries and the Krobo by focusing on dipo. An ethno-historical analysis of dipo provides a valuable entry point into investigating the interaction of the mission with Krobo people, and issues of mission, gender, and identity. The striking intersection between 'traditional' Krobo and the Basel missionaries' concerns was women's sexuality and morality. Their conflicting ideas about gender and sexuality are the key to answering the question why one of the most lingering conflicts originating from missionary attempts to redefine the life-patterns of the Krobo revolves around the dipo rites.
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- Academic publications [238441]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [29483]
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