Christianity, sexuality and citizenship in Africa: critical intersections

Abstract

Citizenship in sub-Saharan Africa has undergone profound changes in recent decades as part of wider social and political dynamics. One notable development is the emergence of Christianity, especially in its Pentecostal-Charismatic forms, as a public religion. Christian actors, beliefs and practices have increasingly come to manifest themselves in the public sphere, actively engage with politics, define narratives of nationhood, and shape notions of citizenship. A second major development is the emergence of sexuality as a critical site of citizenship and nationhood in postcolonial Africa. On the one hand, many political and religious leaders are invested in a popular ideology of the heterosexual family as the basis of nation-building, while on the other hand, LGBT communities are becoming more visible and claim recognition from the state. The contributions to this special issue engage these two contrasting developments, examining the interconnections between Christianity, sexuality and citizenship empirically and theoretically through case studies in various African contexts and from several academic disciplines and critical perspectives.

Saving Sex for Marriage: An Analysis of Lay Attitudes Towards Virginity and its Perceived Benefit for Marriage

“…Religious rules also guide life conduct within social groups, and it is often organised and widely practised in communities. For example, non-formative forms of sexuality like premarital sexual activity or homosexuality are often widely considered as not only "unAfrican" but also "not Christlike" or "unislamic" (Dreier et al, 2020;Ndzovu, 2016;van Klinken & Obadare, 2018).…”