RLG 5937 RVC– SPRING 2014
Colonialism, Christianity and Globalization
Special Topics: World Christianity in the Modern World
(1500-2000) with Professor Ana Maria Bidegain
(this course is also available in Spanish)
INTRODUCTION: Colonialism, Christianity and Globalization (1500-2000) will analyze
the European expansion in the 15th and 16th centuries and the interrelation between religion, economic
and politics in western and colonial societies. This course includes the early Catholic missionary
expansion as well Protestant and Pentecostal expansion in the 19th and 20th centuries in Africa, Asia and
Latin America. The course analyzes contemporary history of Christianity in the Southern continents and
its interplay with the globalization process from an eco-feminist perspective. Its emphasis is on the
transition of Christianity from a western to a world religion in the 19 th and 20th centuries, focusing on
the cultural, social and political impact of the Christian Churches’ activities.
Christian History has generally been defined by a Western perspective and as a
Western History. An essential factor for understanding the process of globalization is the role of world
religions. Christianity has a broader and more global history is generally understood. Understanding the
global aspect of Christianity is necessary in order to fully comprehend the transformations of the 21st
century and the role of religion and its interplay with the economic, social, cultural and political realm.
The shift of the numerical bulk of Christians from Europe and North America to Asia, Africa, Latin
America and other areas outside the Northern Hemisphere has had more than demographic significance
because it is shaping a new Christianity that is impacting the Northern societies and transforming the
basic cultural background of these societies.