Theorizing Pentecostal Historiography
Persecution and Historical Memory in Ethiopia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/ptcs.v11i2.171Keywords:
Ethiopia, historiography, missions, independence, poststructuralismAbstract
Historians of Pentecostalism are often faced with a number of problems specific to the movement, most importantly its fragmented diversity and its providential outlook. The sources they encounter therefore contain many conflicting claims about the past and miraculous assertions, which are difficult to integrate into an academic historiography. Creating a factual historical account from these sources, however, not only proves to be difficult or impossible in many cases, it also fails to really analyse their narrative abundance. Newer theories of history, inspired by post-colonial and post-structuralist thought may help to solve this problem, since they argue for a linguistic approach to history, which in turn makes the analysis of historiography a central point of departure for the historian. By tracing out four of these theoretical contributions and applying them to a specific example from Ethiopian Pentecostalism, the article seeks to show a way forward in the writing of Pentecostal history.
References
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—. 2005. “Revising Pentecostal History in Global Perspective”. In Allan H. Anderson and Edmond Tang (eds), Asian and Pentecostal: The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies Series no. 3. London: Regnum Books: 147–73.
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—. 2011b. “Charismatic Renewal, Denominational Tradition and the Transformation of Ethiopian Society”. In Evangelisches Missionswerk Deutschland (ed.) Encounter Beyond Routine: Cultural Roots, Cultural Transition, Understanding of Faith and Cooperation in Development. International Consultation, Academy of Mission, Hamburg, 17–23 January. EMW Dokumentation; 5. Hamburg: EMW: 45–52. www.emw-d.de/fix/files/doku_5_encounter-beyond-routine2011.pdf.
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Kay, William. 1992. “Three Generations On: The Methodology of Pentecostal History”. EPTA Bulletin 11.1/2: 58–70.
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Popper, Karl. 2002. The Poverty of Historicism. London: Routledge.
Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. 1988. “Can the Subaltern Speak?” In Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg (eds), Marxism and the Interpretation of Culturei. London: Macmillan: 271–313.
van der Laan, Cornelis. 2010. “Historical Approaches”. In Allan H Anderson, Michael Bergunder, André Droogers, and Cornelis van der Laan (eds), Studying Global Pentecostalism: Theories and Methods. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press: 202–19.
White, Hayden. 1973. Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Europe. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
—. 1987. “The Value of Narrativity in the Representation of Reality”. In Hayden White, The Content of the Form: Narrative Discourse and Historical Representation. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press: 1–25.
Zewde, Girma. 2001. “?????. ?????” [“Ethiopis. First Volume”]. [Addis Ababa].
—. 2005. “Revising Pentecostal History in Global Perspective”. In Allan H. Anderson and Edmond Tang (eds), Asian and Pentecostal: The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies Series no. 3. London: Regnum Books: 147–73.
—. 2007. Spreading Fires. The Missionary Nature of Early Pentecostalism. London: SCM Press.
Anon. 1973. “Persecuting the Sects”. Newsweek international edition (January 15): 32.
Bergunder, Michael. 2010. “The Cultural Turn”. In Allan Anderson, Michael Bergunder, André Droogers, and Cornelis van der Laan (eds), Studying Global Pentecostalism. Theories and Methods. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press: 51–73.
Cerillo Jr., Augustus. 1997. “Interpretative Approaches to the History of American Pentecostal Origins”. Pneuma 19: 29–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157007497X00046
de Certeau, Michel. 1988. The Writing of History. New York: Columbia University Press.
Derrida, Jacques. 1978. “Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences”. In Jacques Derrida (ed.), Writing and Difference. London: Routledge: 278–94.
—. 1982a. “Signature Event Context”. In Jacques Derrida, Margins of Philosophy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press: 307–30.
—. 1982b. “Différance”. In Jacques Derrida, Margins of Philosophy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press: 1–27.
Engelsviken, Tormod. 1975. “Molo Wongel: A Documentary Report on the Life and History of the Independent Pentecostal Movement in Ethiopia 1960–1975”. Unpublished Manuscript, The Free Faculty of Theology, Oslo, Norway.
Foucault, Michel. 1977. “Nietzsche, Genealogy, History”. In Donald F Bouchard (ed.), Language, Counter-Memory, Practice. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press: 139–64.
Full Gospel Believers’ Church. 1978. “?? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ??? … ??? ?? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ????!!” [“The Full Gospel Church from Birth Until … Well, It Is Impossible to Turn Back the People When They Come Wanting Jesus!!”]. Addis Ababa: unpublished magazine.
Haustein, Jörg. 2011a. Writing Religious History: The Historiography of Ethiopian Pentecostalism. Studien zur Außereuropäischen Christentumsgeschichte (Asien, Afrika, Lateinamerika) 17. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
—. 2011b. “Charismatic Renewal, Denominational Tradition and the Transformation of Ethiopian Society”. In Evangelisches Missionswerk Deutschland (ed.) Encounter Beyond Routine: Cultural Roots, Cultural Transition, Understanding of Faith and Cooperation in Development. International Consultation, Academy of Mission, Hamburg, 17–23 January. EMW Dokumentation; 5. Hamburg: EMW: 45–52. www.emw-d.de/fix/files/doku_5_encounter-beyond-routine2011.pdf.
Johansson, Tage. 1972. Letter to Bo Hörnberg, 27 August. Ekerö, Sweden: Tage Johansson Collection, Pingstarkiv Kaggeholm.
—. 1974a. “Angående Förföljelsen i Etiopien” [“Regarding Persecution in Ethiopia”]. Internal Report. Ekerö, Sweden: Tage Johansson Collection, Pingstarkiv Kaggeholm.
—. 1974b. Letter to Tormod Engelsviken, 8 September. Ekerö, Sweden: Tage Johansson Collection, Pingstarkiv Kaggeholm.
Kay, William. 1992. “Three Generations On: The Methodology of Pentecostal History”. EPTA Bulletin 11.1/2: 58–70.
—. 2010. “Karl Popper and Pentecostal Historiography”. Pneuma 32.1: 5–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/027209610X12628362887514
Laclau, Ernesto. 1994. “Why Do Empty Signifiers Matter to Politics?” In Jeffrey Weeks (ed.), The Lesser Evil and The Greater Good. The Theory and Politics of Social Diversity. London: Rivers Oram Press: 167–78.
—. 1996. “The Death and Resurrection of the Theory of Ideology”. Journal of Political Ideologies 1.3: 201–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13569319608420738.
—. 2005. On Populist Reason. London: Verso.
Laclau, Ernesto, and Chantal Mouffe. 2001. Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics. 2nd edn. London: Verso.
Popper, Karl. 2002. The Poverty of Historicism. London: Routledge.
Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. 1988. “Can the Subaltern Speak?” In Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg (eds), Marxism and the Interpretation of Culturei. London: Macmillan: 271–313.
van der Laan, Cornelis. 2010. “Historical Approaches”. In Allan H Anderson, Michael Bergunder, André Droogers, and Cornelis van der Laan (eds), Studying Global Pentecostalism: Theories and Methods. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press: 202–19.
White, Hayden. 1973. Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Europe. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
—. 1987. “The Value of Narrativity in the Representation of Reality”. In Hayden White, The Content of the Form: Narrative Discourse and Historical Representation. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press: 1–25.
Zewde, Girma. 2001. “?????. ?????” [“Ethiopis. First Volume”]. [Addis Ababa].
Published
2012-12-30
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Haustein, J. (2012). Theorizing Pentecostal Historiography: Persecution and Historical Memory in Ethiopia. PentecoStudies, 11(2), 171-191. https://doi.org/10.1558/ptcs.v11i2.171
