The Origins of the Missionary Impulse

Tuesday, April 25, 12:00 PM
10 Lenox Street
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What are the origins of the missionary impulse: the desire to proselytize and convert others to one’s way of life? This paper investigates the origins of the missionary impulse within Christianity, Islam, and liberalism. It draws on case studies of William Carey, Woodrow Wilson, and Rashid Rida, as well as original interviews and a synthesis of literature from missiology, Islamic studies, and political science. The paper demonstrates that all three traditions share similar methods of propagation, teleological assumptions, universal aspirations, challenges in respecting other traditions, and blindness to their own violence.  It explicates key determinants of the missionary impulse including personal conviction, networks, media, education and class, religious competition, the state, theology, gender, and global trends. By doing so, it highlights the structural similarities of traditions that are typically considered distinct and elucidates an aspect of world politics that is usually overlooked. More provocatively, it concludes by suggesting that political science is endogenous to the liberal missionary project and as a result, shares the practices and pathologies of other missionary ventures.

Co-sponsored with the Social Science and Religion Network