Introduction

Abstract

After independence, there was growing optimism that Sub-Saharan Africa would break free from the shackles of economic stagnation and underdevelopment that had characterized the region for many years. However, the challenges of economic underdevelopment persist, and there are numerous factors that have been invoked to explain Africa’s lagging development. Christian missionaries, as colonial actors, have often been overlooked in attempts to comprehend their influence on the development of post-colonial Africa. These missionaries played a crucial role in introducing and providing Western-style education and healthcare in numerous African countries, which are essential components for both human and economic progress. Among these countries, Zambia stood out as one of the most extensively evangelized by Christian missionaries during the twentieth century. Surprisingly, there has been a lack of comprehensive research that explores the impact of Christian missionaries’ on Zambia’s economic and human development up until now. This chapter serves as an introduction to the key themes addressed in the book.

Following independence, Sub-Saharan Africa witnessed a surge of optimism for propelling development, and while the region experienced rapid growth in the two decades that ensued, challenges persisted, notably exacerbated by the oil crisis in the 1970s (Barro, 1991). However, by the late 1990s, Africa’s growth revival, coupled with improved political and macroeconomic stability, unfolded (Broadberry & Gardner, 2013; Frankema & van Waijenburg, 2018).

Despite these strides, Africa’s developmental landscape remains characterized by uneven progress, with a notable lag in critical dimensions such as education and health (United Nations Educational & Organization, 2019; Okoi & Bwawa, 2020). The persistence of gender inequality, particularly in access to education and labor participation, further underscores the multifaceted challenges impeding the region’s comprehensive development (Hakura et al., 2016; Bertay et al., 2020).

While numerous factors contribute to Africa’s developmental hurdles, the focus on proximate and fundamental sources of development reveals the intricate interplay of geography, institutions, and culture (Szirmai, 2012; Acemoglu et al., 2001; Gallup et al., 1999). The examination of these factors, however, often overlooks the profound influence of colonial actors, including missionaries, on Africa’s post-colonial developmental trajectory. This oversight is a critical gap in understanding the divergences in post-colonial development.

Within this context, Zambia emerges as a compelling case study marked by distinct nuances and historical dynamics. The rise of missionary presence in Zambia from the late nineteenth century, intensifying into the mid-twentieth century, marked the nation as one of the most evangelized regions globally (Rotberg, 1965; Beck, 2007). Zambia’s enduring Christian identity, with approximately 85 percent of the population identifying as Christian, adds a distinctive layer to its developmental narrative (Phiri, 2019). Even after independence in 1964, Christian missionaries continued to play a pivotal role in providing education and healthcare in Zambia, shaping the country’s sociocultural and educational landscape (Gelfand, 1961; Snelson, 1974).

This book aims to fill a critical void in the scholarship by probing into the long-term impacts of missionary exposure on various developmental outcomes in Zambia. Despite the substantial influence of missionaries in Zambia, there is a notable absence of studies delving into this intriguing aspect of the nation’s history. As an essential contribution to the growing body of literature on the influence of missionaries in Africa, this book endeavors to illuminate the establishment of education and healthcare by missionaries in Zambia. In doing so, it seeks to establish a meaningful link between the Christian missionary human capital investment legacy and Zambia’s contemporary educational and health outcomes, thereby enriching our understanding of the broader forces shaping African development.

Aim and Contributions

The research aims to enhance our comprehension of the enduring influence of the Christian missionary on long-term development. To achieve this objective, the research addresses three overarching questions: (1) What factors influenced the establishment and expansion of missionary activities? (2) What role did missionaries play in shaping the development of education and health as pivotal components of human capital? (3) What are the enduring impacts of missionary investments in human capital on educational attainment, gender inequality, and health?

The earlier literature exploring the consequences of colonialism on Africa’s post-colonial development primarily focused on growth disparities based on broad colonial power identities, such as the comparison between former French and British Africa. However, the analysis often overlooked the contributions of various colonial actors. Recent studies have started to scrutinize Africa’s development with a renewed focus on previously neglected actors, including Christian missionaries. This research contributes to this evolving discourse by emphasizing the missionaries’ role in human capital development and their enduring impact on long-term development.

While many studies examining the contributions of Christian missionaries have taken an all-encompassing approach, encompassing the entire African continent, this book significantly contributes by employing newly collected, precise, localized, and comprehensive data on missionary activities specifically in Zambia. Moreover, while broad Africa-focused studies may reveal general trends, country-specific case studies provide valuable insights into context-specific mechanisms through which missionary exposure influences long-term development. This study stands out as the first to investigate the effects of Christian missionary exposure on long-term educational attainment, gender inequality, and health in Zambia.

Employing time series data encompassing the years 1924 to 1953, this book significantly enhances our comprehension of the historical progression and transformation of education in Zambia. The study delves into the nuances of the historical development and evolution of education, offering valuable insights into Zambia’s educational landscape. Moreover, the study also explores the long-term influence of Christian missionaries on educational attainment and gender inequality in education.

Furthermore, this research makes a noteworthy contribution to the discourse on African historical medicine. By utilizing newly collected colonial medical statistics, the study presents a detailed quantitative analysis of Zambia’s healthcare history. The research systematically assesses the roles played by the colonial government, medical missionaries, and Africans in shaping the historical development of healthcare in Zambia, providing a nuanced understanding through a quantitative lens. Additionally, the study extends its scrutiny to investigate the long-term impact of Christian missionaries on HIV and related sexual behaviors, further enriching our understanding of the multifaceted influences shaping public health outcomes in Zambia.

Furthermore, this study innovatively addresses a common limitation in existing research on Christian missionaries by utilizing annual missionary data spanning from 1924 to 1953. Unlike studies relying on data from a single point in time, this approach enables a comprehensive analysis of the long-term impacts of Christian missionaries as an ongoing historical process rather than a static event. This temporal granularity allows for a more nuanced understanding, decompressing historical narratives and aligning with the acknowledgement that colonialism was not an isolated event but an endogenous process unfolding over time.