“Entanglement” as a concept in recent research on Christian missions in the South Pacific and Africa

Abstract

This article provides a short overview of ‘entanglement’ in recent histories of mission, examining what distinguishes it from earlier conceptualisations of cross-cultural encounters. This article locates the emergence of the term in the social sciences and global histories of empire, and explores its current influence in studies of Christian evangelism in imperial and colonial contexts. This article shows the strengths of recent works on entanglement, while indicating some new research avenues for scholars of mission. The discussion primarily focuses on research on Africa and the South Pacific.