Positioning the Missionary: John Booth Good and the Confluence of Cultures in Nineteenth-Century British Columbia

"Positioning the Missionary" addresses the place of missionaries in histories of colonialism focusing on the encounter between John Booth Good, an Anglican, and the Nlaka'pamux of south-central British Columbia in the mid- to late-19th century. Neither a biography nor an insular study of a single mission, this book uses Good's experience to offer perspectives on the nature of colonial representation and power. The book opens with a discussion of the genesis of Good's mission, in which Brett Christophers asks why the Nlaka'pamux, who invited Good to live among them, were interested in Christianity. Then, before analyzing Good's methods and native responses, the author reflects on Good's background and on the forces that guided him. The main body of the book tackles a set of key questions: how did Good set about converting the Nlaka'pamux and changing the way they lived?; did they accept Christianity, poach it selectively or reject it en masse?; and in what ways did their relationship with Good influence their dealings with the colonial authorities and later with provincial and federal governments? Drawing on theories of gender, space and power, Christophers examines not only Good's impact on the Nlaka'pamux but also their effect on his own beliefs and prejudice.

Table of Contents:
Figures Acknowledgments Introduction Abbreviations 1 Beginnings 2 Redemption 3 Reproduction 4 Space 5 Conversion 6 Morals 7 Dissolution Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Brett Christophers studied in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia. He now lives in London, England.

Review :
Important contribution to the growing literature on culture contact and conflict between Native societies and European settlers .. Christophers is careful to expand understanding of the contexts that had bearing on Good's mission, and one learns much about Nlha7kapmx life and the impact of European contact. - L.H. Hoyle (Choice) A thoughtful contribution to the vexed study of Christianity and imperialism. It is particularly refreshing to have a book which takes religious ideas seriously. It is a testimony to the interest of this short book that one mostly wishes it were longer. - Elizabeth Elbourne (Letters in Canada 1998) This well-researched book examines the role of the missionary on the colonial frontier. It presents a measured and subtle picture of a figure who has more often been caricatured, dismissed as an overconfident and blundering proponent of Christianity and imperialism. Doing so, it contributes to a broader post-colonial deconstruction of imperial binaries. - Richard Phillips (Ecumene 2000 7 (1)) Brett Christophers' account of the life and times of an Anglican missionary in the wilds of British Columbia a hundred and fifty years ago is an excellent case study in thehistory of cross-cultural contacts and conflicts ... Christophers‚ account is well-researched, and in this regard persuasive. (Association of Contemporary Church Historians)