Global Quakerism, 1938–2018

Despite the British and Anglo-American origins of Quakerism, the majority of Friends today are persons of color living in the Global South. Reflecting this profound shift, this volume examines the transformation and diversification of Quaker belief, practice, and community across the past century, while situating these developments within the legacy of Quaker peace work.

This volume takes stock of the complex and multifaceted landscape of global Quakerism in the past century. Approaching this history from multiple perspectives, contributors address themes such as imperialism and postcolonial projects, women’s resistance movements, leftist politics, syncretism, and civil rights. The topics explored include Bayard Rustin’s advocacy for Black freedom and gay rights within a Quaker framework, the activism of Quaker women in Kenya, the struggle of Quaker intentional communities to pursue sustainable living, and the Chinese reception of Quaker missionizing. Together, these studies shed light on the fraught relationship between Quakerism’s colonial and imperialistic past and its testimonies of peace, equality, and social justice. This book will appeal to scholars of globalization, Quaker studies, and the history of Christianity. It will also interest Friends around the world.

In addition to the editors, the contributors to this volume include Jennifer M. Buck, C. Wess Daniels, Mark Stanley Frankel, Rhiannon Grant, Thomas D. Hamm, Robynne Rogers Healey, Stephanie Midori Komashin, James Krippner, Emma Lapsansky-Werner, Oscar Lugusa Malande, Isaac Barnes May, Esther Mombo, Andrew S. Taylor, Nancy J. Thomas, and Patricia A. Way.