A Contextual Study of the Book of Habakkuk from a Malawian Socio-Economic and Political Viewpoint
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Internal and External Imperial Dynamics in Habakkuk: A Contextual Study of the Book of Habakkuk from a Malawian Socio-economic and Political Viewpoint by Takuze Saul G. Chitsulo Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the Graduate Programme in School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. DECEMBER 2015 DECLARATION I, _______________________________________________________________, declare that 1. The research reported in this thesis, except where otherwise indicated, is my original research. 2. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. 3. This thesis does not contain other persons‟ data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons. 4. This thesis does not contain other persons' writing, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other written sources have been quoted, then: a. Their words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them has been referenced b. Where their exact words have been used, then their writing has been placed in italics and inside quotation marks, and referenced. 5. This thesis does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the Internet, unless specifically acknowledged, and the source being detailed in the thesis and in the References sections. ________________________________________________ Student Name ________________________________________________ Date ________________________________________________ Name of Supervisor _________________________________________________ Signature i DEDICATION In Loving Memory of my mother, the Late Mrs. Lizzie Chitsulo for moulding me to be the man I am today. I wish she was around to see me completing my studies to this level. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I thank God Almighty for being my help and guide throughout the time of my studies at the University of KwaZulu Natal. I do not want to take credit for this milestone. As a way of offering my gratitude, I want to borrow St Paul‟s words which say: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). May God alone be praised. I am also deeply indebted to institutions and individuals whom I accept as true that God has worked through them for me to come this far. My four year studies at UKZN would not have been possible without financial support from the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Through the office of International Ministries, they awarded me with scholarship enough to take care of my family that came with me in South Africa. Here, I need to acknowledge the roles played by the following in facilitating this support: Rev Dr Ron Wallace was Associate Secretary for International Ministries at the time the scholarship was approved; Rev Dr Glynis Williams, the current Associate Secretary, has been helpful since she took over office in 2012; lastly, I mention Rev Glen Inglis for recommending me to the Presbyterian Church in Canada. My gratitude and appreciation also go to the Shadyside Presbyterian Church of PCUSA for their financial support towards my children‟s education while in South Africa. I owe thanks to the CCAP Blantyre Synod and Zomba Theological College Board and Staff members for giving me a very valuable chance to pursue my doctoral studies. I do not take this lightly. Special thanks should go to my supervisor, Professor Gerald O. West, for the motivation, guidance, encouragement, friendship and constructive criticism that he provided during the writing of this thesis. His stimulating critique sharpened my approach to the study and his constant encouragement reassured me that it would be successfully completed. I enjoyed working with Prof West and consider myself fortunate to have been under his supervision. I have learnt a lot from Prof West and his work. I am also profoundly indebted to Professors Donald E. Gowan, Ronald E. Peters, Doctors Felix Chingota and Eraste Nyirimana for walking with me throughout this journey. Their iii constructive criticism enriched my understanding to the study and their contribution to the study cannot go without saying thank you. Let me also acknowledge the assistance of the staff of Cecil Renaud Library who worked so hard in helping me find books and articles relevant to my study. Special thanks go to Mr. John Timms of Inter Library Loans (ILL) and Mrs. Celeste Johns, Head of Circulations. Last but not least, my deep gratitude and appreciation go to my family – my parents, sisters and brothers, particularly I sing praises to my beloved wife, Betty and our children, Yembekezo, Nubile, Lovely, Chipulumutso and Elizabeth for their prayers, patience, understanding and unreserved support. iv ABSTRACT This study is an economic reading of the book of Habakkuk from Malawian socio-economic and political viewpoint. It is a good example of scholarly study of Scripture not done as „art for art‟s sake,‟ but undertaken because of the recognition that the Bible has something essential to say to a critical human situation. Designed as a dialogue between an ancient biblical text of Habakkuk and a modern context of Malawi, the study examines the internal and the external imperial dynamics in effort to better appreciate the shared relevance of these two chronologically disparate contexts. The two contexts share the common reality that both are socially, economically and politically shaped by the challenges of devastating imperialism. The dialogue is facilitated through a contextual biblical studies framework – using the tri- polar model or the African contextual biblical hermeneutics model – that recognizes the importance of our contexts in the interpretation of the biblical text. Since we cannot measure the people‟s well-being through the eyes of the elite but of those who suffer and struggle in life, this study deliberately chose the context of the poor and marginalized to be the subject of interpretation. To truly understand the Bible is to read it through the eyes of the oppressed, since the God who speaks in the Bible is the God of the oppressed (Fiorenza, 1981:100). The study will use liberation and postcolonial biblical hermeneutics belonging to the wider context of biblical interpretation in theology of liberation as sub-theoretical frameworks. The two frameworks are ideo-theological orientations where potential lines of connection between the biblical text with its contexts and today‟s readers and their contexts are drawn. This study is concerned with why Malawi is still rated among the ten poorest countries in the world with over half of its populace still living below the poverty line despite having been independent for fifty-one years? Malawi continues to face many socio-economic and political problems, which are caused by economies of extraction – a particular form of capitalism that African states inherited upon gaining independence from colonial masters. It is exploitive as it involves those who do not labour gaining from those who labour. In this study, economies of extraction are a useful link between economic dimensions of Habakkuk and those of Malawi. The study therefore aims at exploring what is contained in both Habakkuk and Malawi that assists us to understand and value both contexts. Such an interpretation within v the context of a critical situation, theology of liberation offers a message that has as its aim emancipatory effects on the poor and marginalized (Fiorenza, 1981:109). vi ABBREVIATIONS ALC African Lakes Company ANE Ancient Near East BIM Baptist Industrial Mission BSAC British South Africa Company CCAP Church of Central Africa Presbyterian DC District Commissioner DRC Dutch Reformed Church IMF International Monetary Fund LMS London Missionary Society MCP Malawi Congress Party MYP Malawi Young Pioneer NCA Nyasaland Chiefs Association NCP Nyasaland Congress Party NIM Nyasa Industrial Mission NNNA North Nyasa Native Association PIM Providence Industrial Mission SDA Seventh Day Adventist SDB Seventh Day Baptist TMoP Tributary Mode of Production WARC World Alliance of Reformed Churches UMCA Universities Mission to Central Africa ZIM Zambezi Industrial Mission vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background and Motivation for the Study 1 1.2 Research Problem 2 1.3 Research Hypothesis 5 1.4 Research Design and Methodology 5 1.5 Thesis Structure 6 CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.0 Introduction 9 2.1 The African Contextual Biblical Hermeneutics 10 2.1.1Contextualization 12 2.1.2 Distantiation 13 2.1.3 Appropriation 15 2.2 Theology of Liberation / Contextual Biblical Study 17 2.2.1 Liberation Biblical Hermeneutics 19 2.2.2 Postcolonial Biblical Criticism 20 2.3 Methods for Textual and Contextual Analysis 22 2.3.1 Interpretive Paradigm in Qualitative Research Method 22 2.3.2 Textual and Contextual Methodologies 23 2.3.2.1 Approaches for Analyzing the Socio-Historical Context of Habakkuk 24 2.3.2.2 Approaches for Literary Analysis of Habakkuk 24 2.4.2.3 Approaches for Analyzing Malawi Socioeconomic and Political Context 26 CHAPTER THREE: THE SOCIO-HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF MALAWI 3.0 Introduction 28 3.1 Political and Economic History of Malawi 29 3.1.1 Missionary-Colonial Era: British Settlement and African Response 1859-1964 31 viii 3.1.1.1 Dr David Livingstone: Contribution to the Making of Malawi 33 3.1.1.1.1 Critics of Livingstone and His Interpretation of Missionary Task 37 3.1.1.2 Scottish Missionaries and Colonial