Sociocultural role of Catholic schools in German Togo (1892-1914)

Abstract

This article concerns the social and cultural role of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) in German Togo ‒ the Catholic missionary order that commenced its work in the colony in 1892 ‒ and specifically the importance of its schools for the German colonial project in that part of Africa. I seek to substantiate the thesis that Christian missions were in fact vital for modern colonial states as holders ‒ mainly through their educational effort ‒ of cultural/symbolic capital that is imperative for a proper functioning of any polity. The SVD mission made a considerable impact on social life of the colony through a network of competitive schools that it established, and for which it also secured a large part of financial resources provided by the colonial government. The importance of mission schools for the colonial project, on the one hand, and their reliance on the government funding, on the other were also important factors in the settling of a protracted conflict about social justice between the order and the government (1903-1907). One essential component of the educational success of the SVD missionaries in Togo was a genuine interest of indigenous elites in the acquisition of Western-style education, especially in the south of the colony that had been exposed to direct European influences for centuries.