Table of Contents

Introduction
The Making of the Diocese of Beira
Diversity and Dynamics of the Imperial Church
The Formation of an African Church
Gathering Storm: Vatican II Meets African Nationalism
Decolonization? War, Implosion, and the Vatican
Independence: Between Revolution and Counter-revolution
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography

Reviews

This study is highly recommendable in terms of both content and methodology.
*THE ZIMBABWEAN*

Morier-Genoud's study is an important contribution to the historiography of Christianity in the Portuguese empire. [...] This study is a must-read for those seeking to better understand how Catholic diversity shaped the development of Catholic institutions in Central Mozambique.
*Religious Studies Review*

In this nuanced investigation of the Roman Catholic Church in Mozambique, Eric Morier-Genoud makes important arguments about the internal diversity and complexity of an institution often considered monolithic and hierarchical. Morier-Genoud's focus on diversity and action rather than on policy allows him to illustrate in rich detail how the church became less hierarchical, more community-oriented, and more prophetic over the course of five decades.
*H-AFRICA*

Catholicism and the Making of Politics in Central Mozambique, 1940-1986 could easily be considered part of the major effort made by recent authors to go beyond the simplistic and persistent views normally expressed about the role played by Catholicism and the Catholic Church in African contexts in colonial and postcolonial times and their relationship with the political powers.
*E-JOURNAL OF PORTUGUESE HISTORY*

In sum, the book is well-written, saturated with empirical material and extensively drawing on (especially) written sources from many forms of archives. As a whole, the book also reflects Morier-Genoud's long-term, wideranging and rigorous engagement with social, political and religious dimensions of Mozambique's turbulent history.
*SOCIAL SCIENCES AND MISSIONS*

Eric Morier-Genoud has given us a lot to think about in this book.
*Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines*

This book illustrates the importance of attending to nuance, tension, and division, all while answering the significant empirical question of how and why Catholicism embedded itself in Mozambique so quickly and so thoroughly in the late colonial and early independence periods. It is an important and informative book that deserves a wide audience.
*Church History*

Catholicism and the Making of Politics in Central Mozambique, 1940-1986 makes a crucial point in brilliant fashion. Far from being the monolithic entity that scholars often assume it to be, the Catholic Church is in fact a complex array of elements that have considerable autonomy stemming from cultural, historical, national, and sociological factors, an autonomy that can put them at considerable variance. Eric Morier-Genoud illustrates this in the case of Mozambique, from impressive research conducted over many years, on different continents and in a variety of languages. I recommend Catholicism and the Making of Politics whole-heartedly.-Paul Gifford, University of London
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