Product Description
"Positioning the Missionary" addresses the place of missionaries in histories of colonialism focusing on the encounter between John Booth Good, an Anglican, and the Nlaka'pamux of south-central British Columbia in the mid- to late-19th century. Neither a biography nor an insular study of a single mission, this book uses Good's experience to offer perspectives on the nature of colonial representation and power. The book opens with a discussion of the genesis of Good's mission, in which Brett Christophers asks why the Nlaka'pamux, who invited Good to live among them, were interested in Christianity. Then, before analyzing Good's methods and native responses, the author reflects on Good's background and on the forces that guided him. The main body of the book tackles a set of key questions: how did Good set about converting the Nlaka'pamux and changing the way they lived?; did they accept Christianity, poach it selectively or reject it en masse?; and in what ways did their relationship with Good influence their dealings with the colonial authorities and later with provincial and federal governments?Drawing on theories of gender, space and power, Christophers examines not only Good's impact on the Nlaka'pamux but also their effect on his own beliefs and prejudice.