Gender, Race, Power and Religion
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Gender, Race, Power and Religion: Women in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa in Post-apartheid Society Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des Grades eines Doktors der Philosophie dem Fachbereich Gesellschaftswissenschaften und Philosophie der Philipps-Universität Marburg vorgelegt von Uta Theilen (geb. Möllhoff) aus: Trier Eingereicht: 2003 Vom Fachbereich Gesellschaftswissenschaften und Philosophie als Dissertation angenommen am 25.09.2003 Tag der Disputation: 25.09.2003 Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Michael Pye / HD Dr. Peter J. Bräunlein Acknowledgements I should like to thank all the South African men and women who shared their stories with me and made me feel welcome in their homes, homesteads and churches ... ... the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Cape Town, foremost the professors Dr. David Chidester, Dr. John de Gruchy and Dr. Chirevo Kwenda for helping me with their expertise ... ... Prof. Dr. Theo Sundermeier (Faculty of Theology, University of Heidelberg) who helped me with his profound knowledge of South Africa and who made sure that I followed up on this project once I had returned to Germany – in spite of many obstacles ... ... the University of Heidelberg, the German Academic Exchange Program and the PSP Publishing Foundation (Basel, Switzerland) for funding parts of the fieldwork and research ... ... Daniela Guggenheim, Elizabeth Hagen, Rose & Ulrich Harrison, Gail Miller, Prof. Dr. Jill Morford and Christopher Triplett for proofreading and editing ... ... my parents Horst & Ilse for helping in many ways, my mother-in-law Tekla for babysitting, my husband Volker for his moral and technical support ... ... my daughter Lara for being a faithful companion during our South African “two-women adventure.” To human kindness Contents Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................1 Main Part ..........................................................................................................................................................10 1 British Methodism and its Mission in South Africa 11 1.1 Orientation ....................................................................................................................................11 1.2 John Wesley and the beginnings of the Methodist movement.....................................................13 1.3 History of the Methodist Church in South Africa...........................................................................21 1.4 Demography, education and gender ............................................................................................29 1.5 Post-apartheid aims of the Methodist Church ..............................................................................33 2 Women’s organisations 42 2.1 Orientation ....................................................................................................................................42 2.2 The Manyano................................................................................................................................46 2.3 The Women’s Auxiliary.................................................................................................................52 2.4 The Women’s Association ............................................................................................................57 2.5 The Women’s Fellowship .............................................................................................................60 2.6 The Women’s Network .................................................................................................................61 2.7 Reflections ....................................................................................................................................63 3 Methodist Women in leadership positions 66 3.1 Introduction to some case studies................................................................................................66 3.2 Mrs. J., Circuit Steward ................................................................................................................68 3.3 Ethel Sanjanja, Lay Minister .........................................................................................................72 3.4 Nomsa Mpambo, Founder of Women’s Fellowship......................................................................76 3.5 Pamela Delport, President of the Women’s Association..............................................................78 3.6 Peggy Attwell, former President of the Women’s Auxiliary ..........................................................83 3.7 Jean Fisher, member of the Women’s Network ...........................................................................87 3.8 Reflections ....................................................................................................................................91 4 African traditions in post-apartheid South Africa 93 4.1 Orientation ....................................................................................................................................93 4.2 A description of the contemporary situation .................................................................................95 4.2.1 The South African government's African Renaissance ........................................................95 4.2.2 African traditional religion at UCT.......................................................................................100 4.2.3 The Methodist Church and African traditions .....................................................................104 4.2.4 African traditions from Methodist students’ point of view ...................................................108 4.2.5 African traditions from the Manyano’s point of view...........................................................111 4.3 African traditions and customs – a survey..................................................................................121 4.3.1 Birth and puberty ritual .......................................................................................................122 4.3.2 Ancestor veneration and traditional healing .......................................................................126 4.3.3 Customary law and gender equality ...................................................................................136 4.4 Reflections ..................................................................................................................................143 5 Conclusions 145 Appendices.....................................................................................................................................................155 1 Abbreviations 156 2 Structures of the MCSA 157 3 Rules & Regulations of the Manyano 160 4 List of Interview Subjects 164 5 List of Manyano Members (Questionnaires) 165 6 Thabo Mbeki’s speech on the adoption of the new constitution 168 Bibliography....................................................................................................................................................172 Preamble of the South African Constitution We, the people of South Africa, Recognise the injustices of our past; Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity. We, therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights; Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law; Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of the nations. May God protect our people. Nkosi Sikelel’iAfrika. Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso. God seen Suid-Afrika. God bless South Africa. 1 Mudzimu fhatutshedza Afurika. Hosi katekisa Afrika. 1 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 3 Introduction The setting The official release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, the mostly peaceful overthrow2 of the apartheid3 government in 1994 and the making of a democratic South Africa with one of the most modern constitutions worldwide has filled South Africans and the international audience with admiration and enthusiasm.4 Expectations were high that the political change would finally bring the long desired equality of South Africans regardless of their ethnic background, as well as the improvement of the social and economic situation of black and coloured South Africans - ; the parts of South African society that had been the most disadvantaged during colonial and apartheid rule. The preamble of the new constitution of 19965 gives vivid evidence of this dream of a new and more just South Africa. The challenges facing the “new South Africa”6 are manifold: reconciliation between the victims of apartheid and their perpetrators, proper education and public health care for all South Africans, development of disadvantaged communities and (gender) equality – to name only a few. The mentioned challenges also concern the former mission churches. Whilst they had increasingly engaged in the struggle for political liberation since the