The History of Religious Studies in Africa: From Colonial Science to Its Decolonization
https://doi.org/10.22394/2073-7203-2022-40-3-7-35
Abstract
The article considers the main directions of studying the religious history of Africa from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 21st century. It shows the stages of research and the major contributions. When analyzing the historiography of religions on the continent, the author focuses on the three groups of research: studies of tradition‑ al African religions, studies of Christianity and studies of Islam. This seemingly simplistic approach allows a relatively coherent description of the history of various denominations on the Black continent. The researchers were primarily interested in the history of Christianity, and it is in this area that the most significant progress has been made. In recent decades, notable advances have also been made in the study of traditional African religions. The studies in the history of Islam in Africa, however, have been less advanced, despite a number of important findings and new research directions. The author attempts to identify the contributions by both Western and African scholars, in the context of recently intensified debates about the need for “Africanization” of African religious studies. He points out the danger of politicization and ideologization of religious studies on the Black continent, turning them into an instrument of either nationalism or religious fundamentalism. This makes the development of academic dialogue between African scholars and researchers from other countries especially relevant.
About the Author
I. Krivushin
HSE University;
Centre of African Studies, Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ivan Krivushin — Professor;
Leading Research Fellow
Moscow
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Review
For citations:
Krivushin I. The History of Religious Studies in Africa: From Colonial Science to Its Decolonization. State, Religion and Church in Russia and Worldwide. 2022;40(3):7-35. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22394/2073-7203-2022-40-3-7-35
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