[<#- *Łvarying levels of competence. This is a sub-stantial contribution to our overview know-ledge, and the author gives credit for the helpof Professor Eileen Krige.The chapter on 'Growing Up' by Virginiavan der Vliet is a similarly competent extensionof new from previous material, with a realattempt at analysis. Sansom's chapter on poli-tics, 'Traditional Rulers and their Realms', isa little disappointing from an ethnographicpoint of view in that while he adopts a usefultheoretical approach supported by case studieswith some success, this tends to obscure thebasic ethnographic parameters of Bantupolitical life, for which one still might haveto refer to Schapera's contribution in the origi-nal book. The same might be said of Myburgh'schapter, 'Law and Justice', but for very differ-ent reasons. In spite of being well documentedand utilising the highly relevant distinction be-tween public and private law, the work appearssomewhat diffuse although it has value indetail.David Hammond-Tooke's own contributionof two chapters on religion and magic marks amodern advance on the earlier chapters byEiselen and Schapera and Winifred Hoernlerespectively. He deals first with the Bantuworld-view as a system of beliefs, and in thesecond chapter with the working out of thesebeliefs in action. The result is good ethno-graphic coverage together with a willingness,previously evinced in his inaugural lecture, tocome to terms with the psychological com-ponents of social life, a fairly recent trend inanthropology.The four chapters of Part II deal with socialchange and the processes of urbanization.University of RhodesiaBenyon's historical introduction, of consider-able value, somehow fits into the first sectionof the book, or should at least be read early.Desmond Hobart Houghton's account of 'TheProcess of Economic Incorporation' naturallyfollows on. The book concludes with two valua-ble chapters Š the one on 'The Influence ofChristianity' by Pauw, again with fine com-parative ethnography, and the other on 'TheImpact of the City', by Allie Dubb, an over-view of urban Bantu life presented with hisusual crispness and rigour. As he says in hisconclusion: 'There is no doubt that since EllenHellmann wrote her chapter 'The Native inthe Towns' in the original 1937 edition ofThe Bantu-Speaking Tribes of South Africa,urban studies have come a long way.'In spite of the gaps (to which Dubb alsoalludes), this reviewer would say that the pre-sent volume demonstrates the same propositionof progress for ethnographic studies as a wholeIn southern Africa. The editor is inclined to beapologetic in his Preface about sheer lack ofinformation and patent inaccuracies and mis-understandings, particularly in the earliersources for this book. It may be that contri-butors have papered over the cracks a little toowell and thereby produced some spurious con-cordances. Nevertheless one cannot fail to beimpressed by the sheer technical, qualitativeand quantitative improvements in ethnographyand analysis in this volume over its now largelysuperannuated predecessor. Whatever one'sviews on the current state of anthropologicaltheory, the vigour of its ethnography, at anyrate in this part of the world over the lastthirty-five years, cannot be doubted. This bookmust take its place as essential reading forsouthern African ethnography, and a soundguide to sources.D. H. READERChristianity South of the Zambezi Edited by A. J. Dachs Gwelo, Mambo Press, 1973, 213 pp.Rh$2,90.The significance of Christianity in Africahas never been limited to the purely theologicalimplications of its teachings. Its introductioninto Africa coincided wth the advent of West-ern imperialism in much of the continent; andthe conversion of individuals often was regardedas a sign that they had adopted Western cul-tural standards and had turned their backs ontheir own traditions. In much of Africa thetask of introducing Western social services alsofell to the missionary and for years the educa-tional and medical facilities of the continent129were largely controlled by the various churchesand societies working in Africa. The mission-aries more than any secular authority en-countered Africa at all levels and probablythey were the most profound agents of changeon the continent. No one concerned with thepolitical, sociological and cultural life of Africacan afford to ignore their past and continuingsignificance.This first volume in what it is hoped willbecome a series acknowledges this and thusfulfils a real need. The fact that it is inter-disciplinary Š educationists, historians, theo-logians and sociologists are among its contri-butors Š indicates the breadth of the impactof Christianity on Africa. At the same time,more than a century after the first significantinroads were made by the missionaries into thetraditional life of Africa, the book shows thatwe have reached a point where we can evaluatethat impact with some detachment. Paradoxic-ally this detachment is possible because of thevery strength of Christianity in Africa. Theinsistence of many early missionaries on arigorous orthodoxy that was felt to be neces-sary if the young churches were to survive Šembattled as they believed them to be bypaganism Š has been replaced by a newgeneration of Christians both black and whitethat looks on African traditional religion withmore sympathy and acknowledges the ethno-cultural content of much of the so-calledorthodoxy. The Revd H. P. Hatendi, forexample, is able to maintain that the marriageaccording to custom of a Christian Shonashould be recognised as valid by the Church:'Marriage within a dynamic community andaccording to custom deepened and enrichedby Christian insights, should be encouraged'(p. 149). This suggestion that Christianity hasbecome a part of the cultural subconsciousnessof the Shona and that this should be acknow-ledged although none of the external trappingsof allegiance to a particular sect are apparent,is an indication of the necessary movementaway from the dangerous identification ofChristianity with the West.Many of the articles are historical and acontribution like Hatendi's can be read againstaccounts of the traditional attitude of mission-aries to local cultures. D. N. Beach's importantarticle on the Southern Shona missions (whichhave not been studied in any detail before)shows features in those missions familiar to anystudent of missionary history: the inability ofthe missionary to recognize value in traditionalreligions, the adoption of Christianity for localpolitical advantage and so on. At the sametime, however, this mission was largely in thehands of Africans and was thus one of the fewnineteenth century missions whose impetus de-rived from within Africa itself. Equally im-portant was the fact that large numbers ofconverts were made before the Occupation andthe success of the mission did not depend onthe more familiar associations betweenChristianity and an Imperial power. N. M. H.Bhebe's essay on the Kalanga and Ndebelemissions shows a more familiar line-up. Mis-sionaries working in the direct sphere ofLobengula's influence appreciated that theywould only make headway if the power of theKing were broken and nearly all were en-thusiastic advocates of imperial intervention inMatabeleland. Similarly Dachs's article onSotho-Tswana missions shows that the mission-aries worked quite openly for political changeand often there was a clash between missionaryand chief on wholly secular matters.One of the most interesting features ofChristianity in Africa has been the growth ofthe so-called independent churches. Thesebreakaway movements from the originalmissionary congregations command a hugefollowing throughout the continent and theirpopularity suggests the need in Africa for aChristianity where there is not even covertforeign control. M. L. Daneel's essay on in-dependent churches in Mashonaland is an in-teresting survey. He examines the relationshipbetween them and the traditional and govern-ment authorities and the nationalist parties.He concludes that the usual account offered forthe formation of these churches as a statementof political alienation does not seem to be truein Mashonaland. Not only does their growthnot appear to be related to particular politicalissues but they have shown themselves to beconsistently and strenuously opposed to na-tionalism. Their appeal according to Daneelis in their 'presentation of Christianity in atypically African guise, which rings true accord-ing to African perception' (p. 188).130From the beginning the Church in SouthernAfrica has been unable to separate itself frompolitical issues and in the last twenty yearsindividual Christians and even some Churcheshave emerged as strenuous critics of the racialpolicies of the white Southern African regimes.It is appropriate that this selection should endwith two articles examining aspects of thisconfrontation. Both T. McLloughlin and theRevd D. B. Schultz concern themselves withthe Catholic Church in Rhodesia but the situa-tion they describe is probably true of all themajor Churches: that European congregationsare unwilling to be directed by their spiritualleaders on political issues. One of the reasonsUniversity of Rhodesiafor this is the obvious one that Whites are socaught up in the institutional privileges affordedthem by segregationist legislation that they areunwilling to examine its moral justice. But itcould also be argued that many whiteChristians do not believe that social moralityis an appropriate area for the church's concernsince traditionally the church has been inclinedsimply to reflect prevailing social attitudes. Inthe context of this collection, however, whitehostility to the 'political sermon' is ironic as inthe past Church has underwritten the processesof imperialism and few Whites would haveregarded that as anything other than whollyjust and appropriate.A. J. CHENNELLSPre-School Opportunity aad Sex Differences as Factors Affecting Educational Progress By S. F. W.Orhell, D. I. Freer and E. Hendrikz Salisbury, University of Rhodesia. 1973, Education OccasionalPaper No. 2, 30 pp. Rh$2,10.In the introduction Hendrikz explains thecircumstances in which three distinct papersare published together; admittedly there arecommon links but the papers are not as unifiedas the single title suggests and certainly they donot flow into, or build one upon the other.The first paper by Orbell entitled 'The earlyyears: the vital years of childhood' surveysevidence from such sources as Werner, Bern-stein, Biesheuvel, Piaget to The Times Educa-tion Supplement and United Kingdom politicalparty manifestos all of which have contributionsto make about the effect of the pre-school en-vironment on individual progress in school. Thisis a familiar social problem of modern societiesand as most of the evidence is taken fromstudies of European, American and Colouredimmigrants groups it is difficult to see how'suitable volunteer adolescents' would serveas adequate substitutes for the full-timemature 'tender loving care' of a mother parti-cularly in the local African context.The contribution by Freer, 'Sex bias as avariable in primary education', is a usefulsurvey of the work done in identifying thedifferent rates of development of boys and girls,and the influence of the sex of the teacher onthe different sexes, and it draws attention to theresulting problems in a co-educational school.In spite of the reference to these studies theauthor supports co-education but makes littlereference to any studies which bring out theiradvantages over single-sex schools.Hendrikz, in her paper, "Sex differences inscientific and mathematical competence atadolescence', makes, among other things, con-siderable reference to her own work withEuropean and Shona High School children inRhodesia. In order to make statistical resultsmore palatable to members of a public audiencethere seems to be a danger in overgeneralizingfrom data which show slight differences inparticular situations. As a result equal import-ance is attached to all data as long as it sup-ports the main argument. I wonder, for in-stance, whether African boarding-school girlsare conveniently described as having lives 'muchless circumscribed' than day-school girls be-cause they score better on spatial and concep-tual tests. As the difference is described as onlyfractional the evidence becomes very thin in-deed. I find it difficult to agree that 'a starthas been made in unravelling some of themysteries of the interaction of genetics andenvironment in the development of human abili-ties' (p.29). What I am more conscious of isthat the knot seems to get bigger and more in-volved. Whereas the debate in education lay131