Spiritual Base, Material Superstructure: A Spiritual Economy of Chishawasha Mission, Southern Rhodesia, 1892-1953

Although the history of colonization has often discussed the role of the church and the role of economics separately, it is not common for these two to be seen as supportive of one another. In this case study of the Chishawasha Mission in present-day Zimbabwe, it can be seen that the Jesuit mission could not have been successful without the reliance on the same basic colonial structures that typified European domination of the continent. However, the difference between the efforts of most white settlers and the Jesuits was that the former sought to take wealth from the land while the latter sought to deliver salvation. Thus the end result was not the desire to extract surplus labor for profit by capitalists but rather to grant to the Africans spiritual salvation. Thus, at least in the minds of the Jesuits and their converts to Christianity, the exploitation of African labor was done for the benefit of the Africans rather than to their detriment. JEL CLASSIFICATION CODES