Christian churches in Dahomey-Benin : a study of their socio-political role /

: This book, divided into two broad sections, examines the state in the Republic of Benin and the socio-political role of the Christian churches. The first looks at the remarkable pre-colonial kingdom of Danxomέ and its place in the imagining of the modern contrat social béninois . The second section looks at both the historical role of the mainline churches and the more recent development of a Christianisme béninois . The study concludes that the churches are above all a commentary upon the society in which they find themselves. Rather than an overt challenge to the state, they articulate social distress and the desire for a different future. In times of stress they may prove to be the only viable institutional buttress as well as the arbiter. This study seeks to make a contribution to the understanding of the public role of Christian churches in Africa.
: 1 online resource. : Includes bibliographical references (p. [307]-324) and index. : 9789047419778 : Available to subscribing member institutions only.