Robes of Resistance: Black Women, Church Uniforms, and Decolonial Identity in South African Independent Churches (AICs)
Résumé
This article explores the socio-cultural, theological, and historical significance of church uniforms in African Independent Churches (AICs) in South Africa, with a focus on how black women navigate, reinterpret, and resist structures of power through religious dress. Adopting a qualitative and decolonial research approach, the paper engages with lived experiences, archival insights, and theoretical frameworks to investigate how church uniforms function as tools of spiritual agency, communal identity, and cultural negotiation. Through historical analysis and theological reflection, the paper examines the evolution of church clothing from its colonial imposition to its contemporary reappropriation as a medium of liberation. Particular attention is given to intergenerational dynamics, gendered hierarchies, and the ways in which visual and embodied theologies are performed by black women in AICs such as the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), Saint John’s Apostolic Faith Mission (SJAFM), and the Sega Apostolic Church. The findings underscore the complex role of uniforms as both instruments of conformity and vehicles for resistance, highlighting their function in preserving sacred memory while also facilitating theological innovation.
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