Rereading the Bible in the Wake of Colonisation

"This book does not flinch from the brutalities of colonization or the roles and complicities of Christianization and environmental destruction. As such, it is a book of tragedies, as the headings to its three constituent parts make clear: conquered lands, subdued languages, colonized bodies. It is also a book that bristles with outrage and resistance; it challenges epistemicide in profound and dynamic ways – in poetry, song, talanoa, inter-reading, textual analysis, and more. The upshot is of a loud clarion call – from Nagaland, Tonga, Australia, Hong Kong, Aotearoa… – that refuses to let colonizers have the only or the last word. Bravo." - Johanna Stiebert, Professor of Hebrew Bible, University of Leeds.

"This outstanding collection is a courageous and timely intervention in biblical interpretation and theology in contexts shaped by colonisation. Bringing together an exceptional group of Indigenous and allied scholars, it offers fresh, critical, and contextually grounded readings of Scripture that expose the enduring legacies of empire while recovering the voices, wisdom, and agency of Indigenous peoples. The volume moves beyond critique to articulate imaginative and life-giving hermeneutical possibilities rooted in land, language, body, and community." - Nāsili Vaka'uta, Director of the Centre for Advocacy, Research & Empowerment, Aotearoa New Zealand.

"This rich collection of essays by Settler-descended and Indigenous scholars charts the next phase for rereading the Bible in the aftermath of colonisation. The essays explore complex entanglements of Genesis and other texts with colonisation, while also drawing deeply on local traditions to open new reading possibilities of resilience and resistance. A model of collaborative, grounded, and politically conscious biblical scholarship." - David Carr, Professor of Hebrew Bible, Union Theological Seminary.

"In this expansively researched and expertly crafted volume, a collective of wonderfully diverse and remarkably well-qualified scholars reimagine a more convivial relationship between land, waters, humans, nature, and God. While critiquing the adverse effects of colonial incursions into parts of Oceania and Asia, they also constructively focus on more organic, contextual, and liberative visions for living in the world. A must-read for theological faculty and students, and a must-have for all libraries in Oceania and those across the globe engaged with World Christianity." - Sathianathan Clarke, Emeritus Professor, Wesley Theological Seminary.