2016
Essay by Bongmba: ‘Writing African Christianity’
An important essay by AASR President, Professor Elias Bongmba, has recently been published in the journal Religion & Theology (vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 275-312). The essay is entitled ‘Writing African Christianity: Perspectives from the History of the Historiography of African Christianity’.
Abstract
In this overview of the historiography of Christianity in Africa a number of desiderata and considerations for future research are reviewed. The first issue considered relates to the practice of historiography. The second issue relates to African identity/-ies and its relationship to global cultural movements. The third desideratum is the pursuit of new disciplinary practices in the study of African Christianity, especially interdisciplinarity as scholarly ethos. Finally, a number of themes that should become foci in historiography of African Christianity are explored, among these are: concentration on local and regional narratives, the gendered character of Christianity in Africa, attention to the material conditions and needs of African religious communities and the various cultural innovations adopted to cope with these conditions, as well as the role of Christian communities in development in Africa and the wider encompassing question of ethics and morality.
2016
New Book: Public Religion and the Politics of Homosexuality in Africa
Routledge has just published the book Public Religion and the Politics of Homosexuality in Africa, edited by AASR members Ezra Chitando and Adriaan van Klinken. It was published in the series Religion in Modern Africa, edited by two other AASR members, Profs Gerrie ter Haar and James L. Cox. Some of the chapters in the volume were presented as papers during the AASR conference at the University of Cape Town in August 2014.
Issues of same-sex relationships and gay and lesbian rights are the subject of public and political controversy in many African societies today. Frequently, these controversies receive widespread attention both locally and globally, such as with the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda. In the international media, these cases tend to be presented as revealing a deeply-rooted homophobia in Africa fuelled by religious and cultural traditions. But so far little energy is expended in understanding these controversies in all their complexity and the critical role religion plays in them. This is the first book with multidisciplinary perspectives on religion and homosexuality in Africa. It presents case studies from across the continent, from Egypt to Zimbabwe and from Senegal to Kenya, and covers religious traditions such as Islam, Christianity and Rastafarianism. The contributors explore the role of religion in the politicisation of homosexuality, investigate local and global mobilisations of power, critically examine dominant religious discourses, and highlight the emergence of counter-discourses. Hence they reveal the crucial yet ambivalent public role of religion in matters of sexuality, social justice and human rights in contemporary Africa.
2016
Fellowships for Early Career African Researchers
The Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in Stellenbosch, South Africa, has launched a new programme: the Iso Lomso (3-years) Fellowships for Early Career African Researchers. The programme provides an exceptional early career opportunity for Africa’s brightest minds in academia. Applications are now open. Competition for these prestigious fellowships is likely to be fierce.
For more information, check the webpage: http://stias.ac.za/iso-lomso/.
2015
Global Christianity – re-launched academic journal
Recently re-launched, Global Christianity is an academic journal for the multidisciplinary study of Christianity in its various local and global expressions. The journal views global Christianity as a set of interrelated phenomena which can be studied from diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives. The primary interest of the journal is in the intersections between different forms of Christianity and various local contexts: religions, cultures, political systems and societies. As a multidisciplinary journal, with an editorial board constituted by scholars from a variety of disciplines, Global Christianity is dedicated to advancing academic co-operation and intellectual exchange across academic disciplines and research traditions. Hence, we welcome scholarly contributions of high academic quality from a broad variety of fields including but not limited to anthropology, development studies, history, migration studies, peace and conflict studies, religious studies, sociology, and theology.
Global Christianity is the continuation of Swedish Missiological Themes, published since 1913. The journal is published quarterly and observes a double-blind peer-review process.
Interested authors can submit their contributions to the Editor, Aron Engberg (aron.engberg@teol.lu.se), or contact him for more information.
2015
International Conference on Women/Youth and Transformational Leadership
— Published on behalf of AASR member, Dr Damaris Parsitau —
It is with great pleasure that I write to invite you to the first ever International Conference on Women/Youth and Transformational Leadership: whose theme “The Ripple Effect of Women/Youth Leaders: From Local Impact to Global Change” as well as the launch of the Global Centre for Transformative and Inclusive Leadership (GCTIL), which will be held from the 13th to the 17th of Oct 2015 at the Institute of Women, Gender and Development Studies (IWGDS), Egerton University, Kenya. The Conference and the launch of the GCTIL will be co-hosted by the IWGDS and the Global Women Leadership Network (GWLN). Expected to be highly acclaimed meetings in the field of Women/Youth and Transformational Leadership in Kenya and beyond, they will be game changers.
The Institute of Women, Gender and Development Studies (IWGDS) was established in 1991 as the Centre for Women Studies and Gender Analysis to address issues that interfere with the pursuit of academic excellence among female students in campus. It was the first of its kind in Kenya and is credited as the first institute that offers both academic and social outreach programmes. The Centre was later upgraded to an institute with full mandate to offer academic and social programs. The institute has since grown into a formidable center of excellence in teaching, research, training, outreach and mentorship.
The Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) on the other hand is a non-profit organization (headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA) which provides leadership development skills and resources for women leaders around the world. Its Women Leaders for the World Programme (WLW) is a Transformational Leadership Educational Programme designed for women leaders keen on accelerating their ability to lead more effectively and dare transform their organizations, communities and the world.
Over 150 participants from all over the world are expected to gather at Egerton University to discuss the ripple effect of transformational leadership from local impact to global change, and for Kenyan women, pave the way for contesting the 2017 General Election.
The Local and International organizing committees are gearing up for an exciting, informative and learning conference programme which will include plenaries, parallel sessions, lectures, TED talk, speeches, sharing of experiences, narratives and motivational speakers. Women and men who are captains of their fields and industries will be invited to share their experiences and mentor participants aspiring to become leaders in various fields.
Special focus will be on women in public life and the interconnection between women/youth empowerment, politics, corporate governance, policy/decision making, legislation, education, health, entrepreneurship, environment, agriculture and agribusiness, food security, climate change, peace building, media and information, science and technology and youth mentorship among many other themes.
We invite you to block your diaries from the 13th -17th Oct, 2015 so as to tap into these historic events, including participating in our annual Gender Awareness Day on 17th of Oct. We assure you of a fulfilling and transformative experience with women/men/youth leaders from around the world.
Registration fees will be 100 US $ for International participants, 60$ for local participants and 30$ for students. We will let you know how to make your payments in our next communication. Unfortunately, we do not have funding to meet your travel and subsistence expenses.
All guests will be booked at Egerton University ARC hotel and other hotels in Nakuru Town. We will negotiate for the best prices possible and let you know.
We will be sending you more detailed information and brochures as well as the conference programme in the coming days.
We are also revamping our website and we will upload all the information by the end of March 2015 or Mid-April 2015.
Please share and circulate this information widely to your colleagues and networks.
On behalf of the GWLN, IWGDS Advisory Board Members and Faculty members, the International and local organizing committees, we look forward to meeting and welcoming you to Egerton University in October 2015.
For more information, please contact the Director, Institute of Women Gender and Development Studies (IWGDS) Dr. Damaris S. Parsitau at dparsitau@yahoo.com or the chair of the conference secretariat and acting Deputy Director Dr. Doris Nyokangi at dnyokangi@gmail.com.
On behalf of IWGDS/ GWLN/Advisory Board and the Conference Secretariat
Best wishes,
Dr. Damaris S. Parsitau
Director, Institute of Women, Gender and Development S (IWGDS) Studies,
EGERTON UNIVERSITY
