A short overview of the modern eras of historiography in church history:

Modernity, Postmodernity, and Metamodernity

Abstract

This article offers a concise overview of the eras of the three modernities, namely modernity, postmodernity, and metamodernity, tracing developments from roughly 1500 CE to the present day. Each of these eras includes the term “modernity”, reflecting the continued influence of ideas first shaped in the 16th century, which still persist in the metamodern world. This article invites church historians – particularly those focusing on the African continent – to engage with and apply the diverse tools and insights offered by these historiographical periods. In doing so, they can contribute to the transformation, decolonisation, and Africanisation of the disciplines of Church History and Theology.