Desmond Tutu

The first biography of its kind about Desmond Tutu, this book introduces readers to Tutu's spiritual life and examines how it shaped his commitment to restorative justice and reconciliation. Desmond Tutu was a pivotal leader of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and remains a beloved and important emblem of peace and justice around the world. Even those who do not know the major events of Tutus lifereceiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, serving as the first black archbishop of Cape Town and primate of Southern Africa from 19861996, and chairing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 19951998recognize him as a charismatic political and religious leader who helped facilitate the liberation of oppressed peoples from the ravages of colonialism. But the inner landscape of Tutus spirituality, the mystical grounding that spurred his outward accomplishments, often goes unseen. Rather than recount his entire life story, this book explores Tutus spiritual life and contemplative practicesparticularly Tutus understanding of Ubuntu theology, which emphasizes finding ones identity in communityand traces the powerful role they played in subverting the theological and spiritual underpinnings of apartheid. Michael Battles personal relationship with Tutu grants readers an inside view of how Tutus spiritual agency cast a vision that both upheld the demands of justice and created space to synthesize the stark differences of a diverse society. Battle also suggests that North Americans have much to learn from Tutus leadership model as they confront religious and political polarization in their own context.