When religion becomes violent: an exploration of gender relations among Nigerian migrants in Durban, South Africa

Abstract

Migration can pose or introduce new challenges for men as it offers empowerment to women and has the potential to alter traditional lifestyle. This can lead to a situation where male migrants strive to hold on to their patriarchal privileges while female migrants endeavour to challenge former gender relations and roles. Male migrants desire to hold on to their dominant male-controlled position can result in the perpetration of gender based violence. This article explores the above scenario by focusing on Nigerian migrants in Durban, South Africa. A major finding according to my research is that Nigerian male migrants employ religion to keep women in subordinated positions, thus perpetrating psychological violence against them. Framed within a feminist standpoint epistemology and underpinned by the theories of Christian egalitarianism and feminist post structuralism, this article utilises a qualitative interpretivist approach to make meaning of the situation.