Histories of Religion in Africa

Brenner, Louis

doi:10.2307/1581798

Cited by 11 publications

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“…On the contrary, for decades the study of religious pluralism as manifested in a number of multifaceted forms has been central to the study of religion in Africa. Attention to such pluralism is exemplified by Louis Brenner's programmatic call in his 2000 inaugural lecture to study the ‘histories of religion in Africa’ (Brenner 2000). Although Brenner limited his examples to what he calls ‘Islamic religious culture’ in Africa, his urging that scholars of religion should not study religions in Africa separately but rather should focus on the ‘heterogeneity and pluralism of religious concept and practice’ and the exchanges of religious knowledge between Muslims and non-Muslims was a strong theoretical statement that presaged some of the recent work on Muslim–Christian encounters.…”

Section: Looking Backmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflections on Muslim–christian Encounters in West Africa

Soares¹

2016

Africa

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In recent years, it seems that friction, tension and conflict between Muslims and Christians have been on the rise in many places in Africa. If one considers some of the recent conflicts between Muslims and Christians on the African continentwith major flashpoints in Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, the Central African Republic, Kenya, and so forth -the urgency of understanding how Muslims and Christians in Africa have interacted over time seems apparent. It is striking, however, that it is only in the last decade or so that scholars have begun to devote considerable empirical and analytical attention to the study of the encounters between Muslims and Christians in Africa. Religious pluralismthat is, the existence of different religious traditions in one space, but also the multiplicity of practices of pluralism, including the personal pluralism of individuals and groups who might engage with different religions or religious practices -has long been a central focus of studies of religion in Africa. But, until recently, MuslimChristian encounters have not been a major focus of attention for studies of religious pluralism in Africa. Among historians, social scientists and scholars of religion, there has been increased recognition of the importance of studying Islam and Christianity in Africa not separately but together, as lived religions in dynamic interaction over time. In this essay I trace how scholars have arrived at such a point and consider some of the challenges of conducting research on religious encounters, particularly those associated with studying Islam and Christianity, Muslims and Christians together. I frame this discussion in terms of some of the theoretical and methodological issues at stake in advancing the study of religious encounters in Africa and draw from some of my own research and the work of others on the topic, particularly in West Africa, to reflect upon how this important field of inquiry has developed and what it has accomplished. 1 LOOKING BACKIn what follows I will flesh out the desirability of making Muslim-Christian encounters central to the study of religion in Africa, and I will examine some of the empirical and theoretical implications of doing so. First, I would like to take a look back to review and assess how contemporary scholars have studied Islam and Christianity, as well as Muslims and Christians, in Africa. If one BENJAMIN SOARES is a senior researcher at the African Studies Centre in Leiden and a professor of anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. He recently co-edited Muslim Youth and the 9/11

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Section: Looking Backmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflections on Muslim–christian Encounters in West Africa

Soares¹

2016

Africa

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“…When Muslim traders and teachers first introduced Islam to the region over 1,000 years ago, they recognized the need to integrate themselves into existing castes, lineages and states (Brenner 2000: 146; Ware 2009: 22). This meant establishing authoritative lineages of religious teachers that consciously mirrored and overlapped with kin lineages.…”

Section: Senegal's Environmental and Religious Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing drought through rural religious communities in Senegal

Cochrane¹

2020

Africa

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Severe ecological changes across the Sahel have created a difficult environment for agriculture and rural village economies. Rural communities, while small in scale, are creating new ways to transform their degraded environment. Their small size allows them to develop location-specific strategies to manage and improve water, soil and agriculture. This article focuses on two Sufi communities (daaras) in Senegal that integrate environmental work and spirituality. Religious organizations are influential in Senegal, as is the idea that labour is a part of both personal spirituality and shared religious teachings. As agriculture continues to be disrupted because of climate fluctuations, creating a habitable environment relies on applying region-specific agricultural science, and working through local structures. These conceptions of labour, along with the religious structures that support their work, make environmental projects spiritually significant, and also transformative for agriculture in a challenging environment.

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“…It speaks powerfully about how economy, religion, and language were deeply entangled in the processes of colonization, how each was political, and how the religious and the secular were always entangled and inseparable. The main body of this scholarship focuses largely on European missionaries proselytizing Christianity in various contexts, but there were also encounters with Islam and indigenous religions (e.g., Brenner, , ; Keane, ; Robbins, ). The following findings from this scholarship offer important insights for building the subfield.…”

Section: Lessons From History and Some Overarching Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studying Religion and Language Teaching and Learning: Building a Subfield

Han

2018

The Modern Language Journal

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Histories of Religion in Africa

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Reflections on Muslim–christian Encounters in West Africa

Reflections on Muslim–christian Encounters in West Africa

Addressing drought through rural religious communities in Senegal

Studying Religion and Language Teaching and Learning: Building a Subfield

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