Focusing on David Clement Scott, the head of the Church of Scotland mission in Malawi, who came to see Europeans as learners in Africa, this innovative book narrates the rise and demise of a unique vision for racial equality in nineteenth-century Africa. By immersing himself in the vernacular language and institutions, Scott developed a theology of reversals to pursue justice in race relations. It set him on a collision course with the Church, colonial government and the White commercial interests spearheaded by Cecil Rhodes. Harri Englund shows how Scott's struggle for justice was as much epistemic as political and spiritual - a vision for the future in which White and Black would thrive in their mutual recognition as co-knowers. From linguistic translation to conflicts over land and taxation, from slave trade to personal intimacies, Visions for Racial Equality weaves a rich tapestry of themes in the life and times of a little-known visionary.

‘Harri Englund has produced a thoroughly researched and insightful book on the history of early colonial Malawi. He explores the inter-relationships between the church, the colonial state, the capitalist class, and the Africans. Revolving around the work of Rev. David Clement Scott, of the Church of Scotland Mission, readers will appreciate how the spread of Christianity, as well as the operations of the state were ‘negotiated’ processes involving the ‘civilized’ Europeans and the colonized Africans.’

Paul C. Banda - Tarleton State University

‘This is a brilliantly original, theoretically innovative, and descriptively rich biography of the life of the nineteenth-century Central African Scottish missionary, David Clement Scott. Englund uses an impressive range of sources to write about this influential and unusual intellectual, evangeliser, and advocate for African rights in an age when they were increasingly under threat.’

Joel Cabrita - Stanford University, California

‘This is a sophisticated exploration of the work of a nineteenth-century Scottish missionary in Malawi and his vision for an inter-racial Christian community that also recognized the validity of African knowledge. This groundbreaking book sets a new standard for the study of the twin struggles for racial and epistemic justice, and should become required reading in African and global studies.’

Elias C. Mandala - University of Rochester, New York

‘Recommended.’

D. Jacobsen Source: Choice