EBOOK In God's Empire:French Missionaries and the Modern World

A collection of original essays by leading scholars in the field, In God's Empire        examines the complex ways in which the spread of Christianity by French men and        women shaped local communities, French national prowess, and global politics in the        two centuries following the French Revolution. More than a story of religious        proselytism, missionary activity was an essential feature of French contact and        interaction with local populations. In many parts of the world, missionaries were        the first French men and women to work and live among indigenous societies. For all        the celebration of France's secular "e;civilizing mission,"e; it was more often than not        religious workers who actually fulfilled the daily tasks of running schools,        hospitals, and orphanages. While their work was often tied to small villages,        missionaries' interactions had geopolitical implications. Focusing on many regions -        from the Ottoman Empire and North America to Indochina and the Pacific Ocean - this        book explores how France used missionaries' long connections with local communities        as a means of political influence and justification for colonial expansion.In God's        Empire offers readers both an overview of the major historical dimensions of the        French evangelical enterprise, as well as an introduction to the theoretical and        methodological challenges of placing French missionary work within the context of        European, imperial, religious history, and world history.