Power and Periphery: Studies of Gender and Religion in Africa

Abstract

Considering great cultural and religious diversity of African continent and dynamic role of at all levels of African life, Africa would seem to offer fertile ground for generating studies of gender and religion. However, such is not case. In addition to political, cultural, and academic marginalization of Africa, there are familiar reasons adduced in other contexts—namely that several of earlier, classic studies of African religions were conducted by European and African scholars for whom gender was not an analyti cal category—what Ursula King calls sexism by omission (King 1995: 2). This paper examines practical, as well as theoretical and methodological, problems and prospects in studies of gender and in vast African context. It is an overview and reflection, rather than a systematic and comprehensive survey. On an autobiographical note, I should add that my own interest in studying women and in Africa was not originally intentional, but emerged as I was working on new religious movements in Ni geria, and more specifically on religious pluralism in town of Calabar. Based on this research, I published an initial study of diversity of women's religious activities (1985). Following that I was asked to write more generally on women and in Africa (1994, 1995), which has led me to cast a critical eye over literature. For obvious reasons, notably dearth of historical and descrip tive data, there has been a tendency toward additive studies (e.g., Mbon 1987)—filling in gaps created by androcentric scholarship. Sometimes these studies have adopted a sentimental and nostalgic overtone, waxing lyrical about positive contributions of women— the flowers in garden—and their important procreative and nurturing roles (Mbiti 1991; Omoyajowo 1991). The heritage of phenomenological comparativism and a predilection for irreduc ibility of religion in history of religions has not served study of gender well, in that it has fostered a generalized, essentialized, and decontextualized view of religion. This is particularly inappropriate in African context where indigenous notions of are far