Artikelbeschreibung

This book deals with a subject rarely chosen for study in either Missiology or Anthropology. By combining new research methods from cognitive anthropology with older methods of the culture-and-personality school, it describes and analyzes the life history of an African individual. Thus, it finally draws conclusions of a more missiological character.
What Robert Badenberg has successfully brought to light is one important aspect of the dialectic between culture and the individual. His argumentation is consistent and easy to follow. It begins with the general concept of body and sickness. The second part of his writing begins with the quest for healing, focusing on personal and cultural concepts. It ends with missiological conclusions about the individual in his cultural context: communication, conversion, counseling.
In his thesis the author is breaking new ground. To missionaries and anthropologists alike the book provides a wealth of information and models to be used in follow-up research.