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- Convenors:
-
Serawit Debele
(University of Bayreuth)
Fulera Issaka-Toure (University of Ghana)
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- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Imagining ‘Africanness’
- Transfers:
- Open for transfers
- Location:
- S65 (RW I)
- Sessions:
- Tuesday 1 October, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin
Short Abstract:
Drawing on what has been conceptualised as “lived religion” or “everyday Islam/religion”, this panel intends to explore subject formation among people of African descent living in the Diaspora from the perspective of how individuals and groups manoeuvre/function in terms of mundane practices.
Long Abstract:
Drawing on what has been conceptualised as “lived religion” or “everyday Islam/religion”, this panel intends to explore subject formation among people of African descent living in the Diaspora. Religions as practiced among people of African descent are inherently interlinked with questions of subjectivity, identity and integration among others. For instance, some scholars have highlighted the idea of “European Muslims” to emphasize Islam’s role on governments, societies, families and schools. Others have delved into Christianity (broadly conceived) and indigenous religions to demonstrate that religion shapes subject formation. We concede that religious subject formation is not an isolated process but compounded by various histories and structures as it intersects with political, socio-economic and cultural matters manifesting in relations of race, citizenship, ethnicity, gender and class. We seek papers that probe these intricacies with an eye to pushing the limits of disciplinary boundaries and also rethink African Studies in a manner that takes the African Diaspora more seriously. Contributions are welcome from multiple disciplines and geohistories reflecting on the below questions and more.
How do individuals and groups manoeuvre/function in terms of mundane practices and rituals of life cycles like birth, circumcision, marriage and death?
How do processes of religious subject formation playout in connection to socio-economic, cultural, political and geohistorical aspects?
How can we study these processes in a fashion that accounts for their richness and complexity?
In foregrounding religion in the Diaspora, what theoretical and methodological insights can be gleaned to enrich the debates within African Studies?
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Tuesday 1 October, 2024, -Msughter John Ataigbough (Benue State University, Makurdi)
Paper short abstract:
Taboos have cultural and religious impediments on the ideological subjectivity of the African Tiv woman. This study is a juxtaposition of the literary, using Adimora-Ezeigbo's Children of the Eagle, and character compromise to reimagine a religio-cultural renaissance for the African Tiv woman.
Paper long abstract:
Cultural and religious nuggets have generational impediments on the ideological limits of Africans. In Tiv cosmology, the stereotypical representations of women are mostly grounded on the prevalence of religious subjectivities. While taboos exist in perpetuity vis-à-vis Western religious trends, this study reimagines how such taboos and stereotypes reflect in the lives of Africans at home or in diaspora. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo's representation of the ideological exigences of the diasporic African is torn between compromise or conformity. This juxtaposition is necessary as it strengthens the argument of this paper, that most religious subjectivities especially taboos impeding the growth of the African woman are sexist and do not apply to those in Diaspora. This paper explicates ways of eliminating genderisation through eradication of harmful and unhelpful tabooic practices.
Keywords: Religious subjectivities, Africans in Diaspora, Tiv Cosmology,
Abayomi Awelewa (University of Lagos, Nigeria)
Paper short abstract:
Abubakar Adam Ibrahim's novel Season of Crimson Blossoms is studied as a prism through which the complexities of Islamic subjectivity within the context of diaspora Islam are investigated. This study attempts an untangling of the complex layers of religion, gender and politics in the novel.
Paper long abstract:
This paper undertakes a rigorous examination of Abubakar Adam Ibrahim's acclaimed novel Season of Crimson Blossoms as a prism through which to explore the complexities of Islamic subjectivity within the context of diaspora Islam. Situated within the fields of postcolonial studies and Islamic cultural criticism, this paper uses a multifaceted analytical approach to untangle the complex layers of religious identity, gender dynamics, and socio-political upheavals depicted in Ibrahim's narrative tapestry.
Central to the analysis is the interrogation of how Season of Crimson Blossoms traverses the liminal spaces of diaspora, foregrounding the experiences of Nigerian Muslims grappling with existential dilemmas, moral ambiguities, and the perennial quest for spiritual transcendence amidst the backdrop of social upheaval and cultural transformation. Through a close reading of key textual passages and thematic motifs, the paper elucidates how Ibrahim's narrative disrupts hegemonic discourses surrounding Islam and gender, inviting readers to confront the complexities of religious subjectivity and ethical agency in the context of diasporic existence.
Additionally, the research places Ibrahim's book in the larger context of diaspora literature and analyzes how it challenges essentialist ideas of religious identity and cultural authenticity while addressing transnational themes of displacement, belonging, and cultural hybridity. It highlights the transformative potential of literature as a catalyst for critical reflection and socio-cultural change within diasporic communities by elevating the voices of marginalized characters and emphasizing their struggles for self-actualization and social recognition. This study adds to the continuing scholarly discussions about the relationship between literature, religion, and diaspora identity.
Bolaji Akanni (University of Ibadan, Ibadan Oyo State)
Paper short abstract:
This paper explores the multifaceted roles of women in shaping religious subjectivities within the African diaspora, focusing specifically on their participation in death rituals and their broader impact on the formation of religious identities.
Paper long abstract:
This paper explores the multifaceted roles of women in shaping religious subjectivities within the African diaspora, focusing specifically on their participation in death rituals and their broader impact on the formation of religious identities. Employing an interdisciplinary approach that considers the intersections of gender, religion, and socio-political contexts, this study investigates how Nigerian Islamic Yoruba women navigate and negotiate their roles in death rituals. Hinged on interview and feminist theoretical frameworks, it aims to clarify how these activities contribute to the formation of religious subjectivities. This study sheds light on the multifaceted experiences of Yoruba Islamic women in the United Kingdom by analyzing the impact of socio-religious concerns on women's agency and involvement in religious rituals. By emphasizing religion in the diaspora, this study takes a transnational and intersectional approach, highlighting the fluidity and hybridity of religious practices and beliefs and especially death rituals across geographic and cultural barriers. Through a nuanced analysis of gender dynamics, ritual practices, and socio-historical contexts, this research aims to comprehensively understand the rich and complex processes involved in forming religious subjectivities among women in the African diaspora.
adesoji adedipe (University of Kansas)
Paper short abstract:
This paper draws on what has been conceptualized as “lived religion”. This paper proposes to explore subject formation among people of African descent living in Kansas the United States from the lens of how individuals and groups function religiously and navigate in terms of everyday way of life.
Paper long abstract:
This paper draws on what has been conceptualized as “lived religion” or “everyday Islam/religion”, thus this paper proposes to explore subject formation among people of African descent living in the Mid-West state of Kansas in the United States from the lens of how individuals and group’s function and navigate in terms of normal everyday way of life.
Two monotheistic religions, both emanating from the middle east, Christianity and Islam as practiced among people of African descent are inherently interlinked with questions of subjectivity, identity, assimilation, and integration among others. Coming from a place where the primordial belief system of the people revolves around polytheism which most traditional African religions grounded in the belief in the supremacy of multiple deities. Therefore, this paper seeks to understand how individuals and groups find expression in terms of mundane practices and rituals of life cycles like birth, circumcision, marriage, and death and its intersection with superstition which is not out of place in Africa. This paper also wants to explore the potential of understanding the syncretism going on with the aim of appreciating its richness while acknowledging its complexity.
Optimiscally, the understanding derived from this study would help the process of foregrounding religion in the Diaspora, and also lead to suggestions of which theoretical and methodological insights can be gleaned to enrich the debates on Religion within the field of African Studies.