Paper short abstract:

This research connects diaspora and transnationalism studies with the study of change within religious schooling practices in Muslim societies by exploring the involvement of Senegalese migrants within the religious education sector of their homeland.

Paper long abstract:

In the context of widespread anxieties about Islamic radicalisation, Western societies look uneasily upon youngsters from Muslim immigrant communities, especially if they travel abroad to acquire Islamic knowledge. This research connects diaspora and transnationalism studies with the study of change within religious schooling practices in Muslim societies by exploring the involvement of Senegalese migrants to the West within the religious education sector of their homeland. In particular, it asks what type of education Senegalese migrants demand for their children, and what this demand reveals about the conditions in their 'host' countries. It then explores how the religious education sector in Senegal has responded to this demand. Finally, it investigates the experiences of migrants' children who have come to Senegal for their religious study, exploring particularly what these experiences imply for their religious identities and their sense of belonging. The paper draws on altogether eight months of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Dakar and its suburbs since 2014.