Abstract
ABSTRACTAmong 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 rather together as lived religions in dynamic interaction over time. In this article, I trace how scholars have arrived at such a point and consider some of the challenges of conducting research on religious encounters, and 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 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.
Highlights
If one considers some of the recent conflicts between Muslims and Christians on the African continent – with 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
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, 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, in West Africa, to reflect upon how this important field of inquiry has developed and what it has accomplished
Summary
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 continent – with 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, 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. 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, in West Africa, to reflect upon how this important field of inquiry has developed and what it has accomplished.
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