The Dissolution of Nam Cum in Perspective: Global Contexts of the Mennonite Mission in the Chaco, Argentina

Abstract

The dissolution of the Mennonite Nam Cum mission in the province of Chaco has been approached by anthropological studies on religious change as a fundamental milestone in shaping the contemporary dynamics of the region. This literature has considered the episode in a strongly local setting. Using various archival sources such as personal diaries, letters, publications, administrative reports and ethnographic work, this essay reintegrates the episode into the global context of paradigm shift in Mennonite missions in the mid-twentieth century. One of the central factors in this analysis is the profound influence of the discipline of anthropology on the indigenization of Mennonite missions, which was inscribed in the context of the "anthropological turn" of Christian missions and the growing awareness of the relevance of contextualization and the understanding of local cultures for a true evangelical mission. This essay argues that this significant event not only permits an exploration of how this new model of incarnating the gospel in local culture was experienced by Mennonite missionaries, but also reveals its significance for the constitution of the anthropological studies of Chaco region.