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American Evangelicals and African Politics: The Archives of the Fellowship Foundation, 1960s–1987

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2018

Nancy J. Jacobs
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Abstract:

This article describes the archives of the Fellowship Foundation, best known as the organizers of the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC. The secretive character of the Fellowship probably accounts for its lack of visibility in African historical narratives to date. This article makes a case that this evangelical network was significant as a clandestine “track two” diplomatic organization with ties throughout Africa. Historians of international relations, it is suggested, may find useful sources in the public archives of Fellowship Foundation correspondence at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College in Illinois. The article reviews the records for several countries and offers examples of the banal, secretive, and sometimes usefully suggestive evidence to be found in the correspondence.

Résumé:

Cet article décrit les archives de la Fellowship Foundation mieux connue comme étant l’organisatrice du National Prayer Breakfast à Washington DC (Etats-Unis d’Amérique). Le caractère secret de la Fellowship Foundation explique probablement son manque de visibilité dans les récits historiques sur l’Afrique à ce jour. Cet article démontre que ce réseau évangélique était significatif en tant qu’organisation diplomatique clandestine non officielle avec des liens dans toute l’Afrique. L’auteur de cet article suggère que les historiens des relations internationales pourraient trouver des sources utiles dans les archives publiques de la correspondance de la Fellowship Foundation au Billy Graham Center du Wheaton College, en Illinois. L’article passe en revue les dossiers de plusieurs pays que l’on peut trouver dans la correspondance et offre des exemples de preuves banales et secrètes mais parfois utiles et révélatrices.

Type
Archival Reports
Information
History in Africa , Volume 45 , June 2018 , pp. 473 - 482
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2018 

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