The Mission of Social Sciences and Missions

Abstract

This article assesses the “mission” of the journal Social Sciences and Missions as it approaches its twentieth anniversary, starting from its origins as a forum for interdisciplinary study of colonial-era Christian missions, especially in Africa. It surveys major debates that the journal has followed regarding gender, migration, and more. It reflects on its revised manifesto of 2021, committing to the study of missions as neither a “theological category” nor exclusively Christian phenomenon “but rather [as] a type of social action” and mode of “religious intervention in social space.” Building on this history, this article argues, the journal should critically question the nature of religion and the “religious;” cover non-Christian topics more fully; and encompass organizations that may not be recognizably “faith based.” Broader comparative focus will sharpen the journal’s focus on missions as movements that have aimed to channel and promote social change, often with far-reaching and ambiguous consequences.