First published in 1977 and now in its third edition, this book has been recognised as one of the most successful studies to be made of the impact of a Christian mission in Africa. Starting with a survey of the economy and society of Malawi in the mid ninetieth century, the book goes on to examine the home background to the Livingstonia Mission of the Free Church of Scotland and the influence of David Livingstone upon it. It then describes the failure of 'commerce and Christianity' around the south end of Lake Malawi and the subsequent positive response which the mission evoked among the people of Northern Malawi. African responses and the relationship between Christianity and politics dominate the second half of the book. Comprehensive reassessments are made of the origins of the Watch Tower movement; the growth of Christian independence and the character of interpolitical associations. This revised edition includes a new introduction, and up-dated bibliography, and some revised text.

With the death of John McCracken in 2017, Malawi lost a pre-eminent historian. This book celebrates McCracken’s contribution to the study of Malawi’s history and seeks to build on his legacy. Part of his genius was that he identified themes that hold the key to understanding the history of Malawi in its broader perspective. The authors contributing to this volume address these themes, assessing the progress of historiography and setting an agenda for the further advance of historical studies. The book is a valuable resource for students, researchers and all who are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of Malawi’s past and present.

First published in 1977, this book has been recognised as one of the most successful studies to be made of the impact of a Christian mission in Africa. Starting with a survey of the economy and society of Malawi in the mid ninetieth century, the book goes on to examine the home background to the Livingstonia Mission of the Free Church of Scotland and the influence of David Livingstone upon it. It then describes the failure of 'commerce and Christianity' around the south end of Lake Malawi and the subsequent positive response which the mission evoked amoung the people of northern Malawi. African responces and the relationship between Christianity and politics dominate the second half of the book. Comprehensive reassessments are made of the origins of the Watch Tower movement; the growth of Christian independence and the character of interpolitical asssociations. This revised edition included a new introduction, an up-dated bibliography, and some revised text.

The early missionaries brought Christianity from the monogamous West to the polygamous societies of Africa. Were the missionaries right in demanding that converts dismiss all but one wife? Was this the demand of the Christian faith or of Western civilization? And were the converts right to dismiss their wives though they had married them according to the laws of the land? And who asked the children if they wanted their mothers to be dismissed and may or may not be married to another man? The book argues that while polygamy is an African reality, it is below Christian moral standards. However is stopping converted polygamous men and women from baptism best practice if we believe that sin can be forgiven for the one who repents? Can the shedding of responsibility for wives and children be made a precondition for such forgiveness?

This is a book about the Tonga of Northern Malawi, sometimes called the Lakeshore Tonga to distinguish them from other ethnic groups with the same name further west in Central Africa. The Lakeshore Tonga were the first ethnic group to identify themselves with the Christian faith. The purpose of the research was to investigate the use of Tonga myths, folktales, proverbs and rituals for their role in Moral Education and assess and evaluate their contribution towards value formation for the youth. Each chapter in the book aims to discuss some ideas in the anthropology of religion and to illustrate them with specific case studies formed primarily through conversation with friends, both young and old, over some years.

This is the first attempt to comprehend the whole of Malawi's church history in a single volume. The focus of this book is about documenting the religious experience which was at the centre of founding the new nation of Malawi as we have come to know it. The book strikes a balance in covering issues pertaining to both mission activities and African agency. In many instances interesting pieces of evidence have been marshalled to corroborate or emphasize some of the conclusions reached.

This is an exciting, comprehensive compilation of letters, petitions, songs, poems, cartoons and a fatwa composed by Malawi’s foremost martyrs and struggle heroes. The documents lay bare the chequered march of Malawi’s political and social history and give a glimpse into the minds of some of Malawi’s most notable figures and the challenges they faced in their time as they fought for change. They are accompanied by rich commentaries by respected authors on Malawian political history: Klaus Fiedler, John Lwanda, Isabel Phiri, and Kenneth Ross.