This book, divided into two broad sections, examines the state in the Republic of Benin and the socio-political role of the Christian churches. The first looks at the remarkable pre-colonial kingdom of Danxomέ and its place in the imagining of the modern
contrat social b ninois. The second section looks at both the historical role of the mainline churches and the more recent development of a
Christianisme b ninois.
The study concludes that the churches are above all a commentary upon the society in which they find themselves. Rather than an overt challenge to the state, they articulate social distress and the desire for a different future. In times of stress they may prove to be the only viable institutional buttress as well as the arbiter.
This study seeks to make a contribution to the understanding of the public role of Christian churches in Africa.
