Exploring how Christian identity affected the ethics of two women's organisations in South Africa

What is it about?

Christianity is both a group identity and the ‘basis’ for the two Young Women's Christian Associations (YWCAs) in South Africa. One is the World-Affiliated YWCA of South Africa, and the other is no longer called "YWCA". These separate organisations both have roots in the colonial YWCA established in Cape Two n in 1886, but they have contrasting histories that illustrate differing interpretations of how Christianity should guide social change. As this article describes, between 1931 and 1994 the two YWCAs sometimes did the same thing; such as promoting a domestic model of Christian womanhood. At other times they acted in opposite ways, as in their different responses to apartheid and racism. One YWCA remained white-led and evangelical, while the other was black-led and participated in the struggle against apartheid.

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Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Why is it important?

By outlining how each organisation remembers its past, I show that these differences are in part the result of the way a collective identity influences ethical choices by implying a shared position and outlook, and commitments to shared goals and values. The differences between the YWCAs also reflect the way racial and national identities interact with Christian identity in ways that alter outlook, goals, and values.

Perspectives