Christian Missions and Humanitarianism in The Middle East, 1850-1950 : Ideologies, Rhetoric, and Practices

Abstract

From the early phases of modern missions, Christian missionaries supported many humanitarian activities, mostly framed as subservient to the preaching of Christianity. This anthology contributes to a historically grounded understanding of the complex relationship between Christian missions and the roots of humanitarianism and its contemporary uses in a Middle Eastern context. Contributions focus on ideologies, rhetoric, and practices of missionaries and their apostolates towards humanitarian-ism, from the mid-19th century Middle East crises, examining dið€€ƒferent missionaries, their society’s worldview and their networks in various areas of the Middle East. In the early 20th century Christian missions increasingly paid more attention to organ-isation and bureaucratisation (‘rationalisation’), and media became more important to their work. The volume seeks to discover and retrace such ‘entangled histories’ for the ð€€„ð€€…rst time in an integral perspective. Readership: Those interested in the modern and contemporary history of the Middle East, in religious studies, international relations, scholars, students and practitioners of humanitarianism.