Galloway of Buraan
Ebook
The Reverend David Simcox Galloway, an American Presbyterian educator and clergyman, is seeking to establish a secondary school for boys in what is now southeastern Turkey, at the border with Syria.
This is the story of two eventful weeks: one in March 1910 and the other in September 1925. In 1910, he is struggling just to prepare a proposal to create the school. In 1925, the new campus is ready and about to open. Diligent, quiet, well-intentioned, and idealistic, Galloway often feels overwhelmed by the challenges of life and work on the mission field. He encounters violence, cultural friction, illness, isolation, and loss, and sometimes unexpected satisfaction and joy.
This narrative represents post-colonial critiques of mission while also embodying the way Christians of the time lived their faith, expressed themselves, and observed the norms of their social context. The novel tells a compelling personal story while digging into issues of intercultural encounter, indigenous agency, vernacularization, interfaith relations, gender roles in mission, the advent of modernity, mission philanthropy in that era, and the effects of imperialism in the Middle East. David Galloway reconsiders many of his assumptions over the time span of this story.
“This richly textured historical novel captures the ethos and inner life of a Protestant missionary community during the era of the Armenian genocides a century ago. . . . Human pathos and dramatic events keep the reader moving from one chapter to the next. Galloway of Buraan brings mission history alive. I enjoyed it immensely.”
—Dana L. Robert, Boston University
“Taking a critical but sensitive approach to Christian history and experience, Galloway of Buraan will appeal to fans of historical fiction who take a keen interest in the Christian missionary past and in American-Middle Eastern relations.”
—Heather J. Sharkey, University of Pennsylvania
“With its witty and wistful tales, Galloway of Buraan seamlessly recaptures the complexities of mission history in the early twentieth century with its multiple facets. As riveting as a novel could be yet mirroring the realities of the time, the book gently sheds light on the origins of Protestant Christianity in the Ottoman Empire nestled in their political and cultural contexts.”
—James Taneti, Union Presbyterian Seminary
“Clifford’s careful historical research and personal missionary experience in the Middle East create a compelling piece of fiction in Galloway of Buraan. I would recommend the book to all who seek to understand the intangible values of zeal, tolerance, and sacrificial commitment that were such an important part of the missionary movement.”
—B. Hunter Farrell, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
“This well-researched, nuanced, and convincing novel . . . touches on politics, economics, morality, cultural prejudice, interreligious understanding, and Christian piety through the stories of the vibrant characters surrounding the likable missionary educator David Galloway. Truly a delight to read!”
—Thomas John Hastings, Princeton Theological Seminary
- Title: Galloway of Buraan
- Author: E. M. Clifford
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666794175, 9781666736175, 1666736171, 9781666794168, 1666794163, 1666794171
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666794175
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-01-26T22:15:29Z
E. M. Clifford served as Reference and Archives Librarian at the William Smith Morton Library of Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond (1999–2020), and for ten years as instructor and academic librarian at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo. Clifford is the author of The Literature of Islam: A Guide to the Primary Sources in English Translation (2006) and Northern Africa: A Guide to the Reference and Information Sources (2000).