LIBERATION OR DOMESTICATION? : AN EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF RELIGION DURING APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA By Emily E. Welty Submitted to the Faculty of the School of International Service of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master of Arts In International Peace and Conflict Resolution Chair: )r. Mohammed Abu-Nimer . Josiah Young C O G - r d h ____ Dean Louis Goodman 2. me.u-i Date 2005 American University Washington, D.C. 20016 .THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1428242 Copyright 2005 by Welty, Emily E. All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 1428242 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © COPYRIGHT by Emily E. Welty 2005 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. My thesis work was bracketed on either end by the departure of both my grandfathers - Herman Bailey Seal and Robert Samuel Welty. Papa Seal passed away during the first days of my research in the fall of 2000 and Papa Bob passed away during the spring of 2005.1 am grateful to now have them as my ancestors and this is dedicated to them - Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIBERATION OR DOMESTICATION? : AN EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF RELIGION DURING APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA BY Emily E. Welty ABSTRACT My thesis examines the role of religion during apartheid in South Africa. I argue that in order to comprehend the socio-political circumstances surrounding the end of apartheid, it is necessary to understand the role of religion in South African society. During my fieldwork in the country, I interviewed key religious figures about their role in the liberation struggle. These interviews as well as information from theological statements produced by religious organizations, published memoirs, transcripts of speeches and published research on the apartheid era formed the backbone of my research. I established that religion served both as a force for domestication as well as liberation in South Africa. The Afrikaner community used religion to theologically justify and enforce apartheid. The use of religion for liberation manifested itself in theology, the work of religious leaders and direct political activism. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgements I am deeply grateful to Dr. Mohammed Abu-Nimer and Dr. Josiah Young for their willingness to serve as advisors to this project. Dr. Abu-Nimer has been my mentor at American University for the past three years and I have benefited greatly from his wisdom and knowledge. During my time in South Africa, I was blessed by the wit and spirit of David and Patty Geerdts who gave me direction, encouragement and even a cool bed to recover in during a bout of illness. The Hope Community sisters of Saint Philomena’s were my second home during my first and second stays in Durban. Their sense of humor and genuine care for me were immeasurably valuable. Marie Salupo was a perfect traveling companion and supportive listener during my first days back in South Africa after a long absence. Her friendship is a joy to me. Andrew McDonnell went above and beyond the call of duty by deciding to celebrate our ten year anniversary of friendship by volunteering to edit my thesis all the way from Saipan! Without the willingness of a great number of people in South Africa to share their stories and their experiences with me, this project would not have been possible. The gracious readiness of all of my interviewees to spend a morning or afternoon and several cups of tea with me is a testament to the warmth of the South African people. I am particularly indebted to the brilliant spirits of: Archbishop Denis Hurley, Dr. Nico Smith, Albert Nolan, Father Chris Townsend, Archbishop Rubin Phillip, Sue Brittion, Cardinal Wilfred Napier, Cosmas Desmond, Paddy Kearney, Richard Steele, Anita Kromberg, Archbishop Lawrence Henry and Rob Robertson. Finally, I am grateful beyond words to my family, friends, friends who feel like family and family who feel like friends for their patience, encouragement, good humor and love throughout this entire process. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... iii Chapter One: Domestication or Liberation?.......................................................................1 Chapter Two: Apartheid as Religion................................................................................26 Chapter Three: Theology for Liberation and Resistance................................................57 Chapter Four: Serving the People, Resisting the State.................................................. 102 Chapter Five: Direct Political Activism From Faith..................................................... 129 Chapter Six: People are People through other People.................................................. 161 Chapter Seven: Turning the Tide - South African Society After...................... 1994 181 Chapter Eight: Both Domestication and Liberation...................................................... 198 Appendix: Chronology of Relevant Events.................................................................... 213 Bibliography......................................................................................................................215 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER ONE: DOMESTICATION OR LIBERATION? All my life, stories have been important to me. Since childhood, I have been engrossed in stories ranging from exquisitely illustrated picture books to incredibly detailed novels. As I grew older, my passion for travel and my preoccupation with social justice became just two more outlets for my thirst to hear and participate in human narratives. Unfortunately, “stories” are not seen as scholarly. Yet, despite that fact that this thesis rests firmly in the realm of scholarship, it still feels very much like a story to me. This is the story of a group of people who would not be kept down, who refused to accept second-class citizenship. This is a story about people of faith and the way that they used their faith to bring down an oppressive regime. This is a story about faith and hope and fear and courage. This is a story that involves people thousands of miles away and, this is the story of how I encountered and interpreted their experiences. And when people ask me to justify the power of nonviolence and spirit over violence and death - this is the story I tell them.... In 1972, Paulo Freire poised a radical thesis to the world of education. He asserted that education served one of two purposes - domestication or liberation.1 That is, the purpose of education was either to indoctrinate people into a way of life that served the interests of a more powerful institution or to open people to new possibilities for them to 1 Paulo Freire, “Education: domestication or liberation?” Prospects - quarterly review of education. Volume II, Number 2, (1972). 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 become agents of change in society. In this thesis, I raise this same assertion in a different context - religion. In a discipline that has tended to focus on issues such as human rights, international negotiation, dispute resolution and peacebuilding initiatives, it might seem strange that I chose to focus my thesis on religion. The argument that I sustain throughout my thesis is that in order to fully understand the forces and historical conditions surrounding the end of apartheid, it is necessary to investigate the role of religion in South African society. I believe that when the definitive work on the struggle against apartheid is completed, it will take into account the depth and breadth of religious action that took place. This thesis is an attempt to make a contribution to this particular section of that grander scheme of research. The primary question that my thesis addresses is: how does viewing the historical events in South Africa (particularly from 1960 to 1990) through the perspective of political theology