On the Frontline

Catholic Missions in Zimbabwe's Liberation War

Janice McLaughlin

 

The book is out of print.

Synopsis

Janice McLaughlin's monograph is a study of the Catholic Church during Zimbabwe's war of liberation. As such, it interacts with two lively traditions of scholarship on Zimbabwe. The first is a predominantly local religious studies tradition which has produced a rich body of denominational histories. The second arises more from ex-patriate anthropologists, social historians and political scientists who have analyzed patterns of wartime popular mobilization and raised questions about the legitimacy of guerrilla activity.

Review

[McLaughlin] has provided a fascinating and original account of Zimbabwe's largest and most powerful church during the crucial period of nationalist transition. - David Maxwell, The Journal of African History

Author

Sr Janice McLaughlin spent four decades of her life in Africa, mainly in Zimba­bwe. Celebrating the country's independence in 1980, she was consistently committed to work in social justice with the newly developed ZIMFEP schools, at Silveira House, and with marginal­ised communities.