Short Abstract

This panel examines the appropriations of social media by Salafi actors, a process through which they construct religious authority, reshape social interactions and reinvent political influence. Through case studies, it intends to push for a reconceptualization of the study of Islam in/and Africa.

Long Abstract

Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, X, TikTok, and Telegram have fundamentally transformed religious life in Africa. This is especially visible within Muslim communities, where digital platforms have become key sites for da'wa (call to Islam), theological debate, construction of authority, and the everyday performance of piety. As smartphone access and affordable data have expanded, new Salafi actors — self-taught preachers, women's study circles, youth-led collectives, online 'sheikhs', and diaspora networks — have entered spaces once dominated by established clerics and institutions.

Social media do not simply provide a new channel for pre-existing religious content — they reshape the very form, pace, and grammar of religious practice and interactions: sermons compressed into short clips optimized for virality, fatwas stripped of their original context, and religious charisma measured in clicks, views, and shares. Such a reconfiguration is especially pronounced with Salafism, a current known for its emphasis on textual authenticity, direct engagement with scriptures, and skepticism toward established orders.

These developments have also political implications as religious figures increasingly use digital platforms not only to propagate faith, but also to shape electoral contests, protest movements, and public policy; while state authorities and political parties court religious influencers online.

This panel invites papers that examine the ways in which digital media reshape practices, discourses, and structures of authority in Salafi context. We are especially interested in empirical studies that push for a reconceptualization of the study of Islam in/and Africa.

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