Development and politics from below: exploring religious spaces in the African State

Proceedings of the 2008 conference organized by the Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh, and the Wits Institute for Economic and Social Research (University of the Witwatersrand) at which participants explored religious spaces in Africa by discussing the relationship between development, politics and religion. The Introduction: development and politics from below: new conceptual interpretations is by B. Bompani and M. Frahm-Arp. Part 1, Challenging the secular: religion and public spaces, consists of: Development and invisible worlds (S. Ellis); The ‘mbuliuli’ principle: what is in a name? (Zambia; G. ter Haar); Muslim shrines in Cape Town: religion and post-apartheid public spheres (South Africa; A. Tayob); and Remaking society from within: extraversion and the social forms of female Muslim activism in urban Mali (D.E. Schulz). Part 2, Religion between State and society, contains the essays: ‘Da’wa’ and politics in West Africa: Muslim ‘Jama’at’ and non-governmental organizations in Ghana, Sierra Leone and The Gambia (D.E. Skinner); Faith-based organizations, the State and politics in Tanzania (E.T. Mallya); and Burying life: Pentecostal religion and development in urban Mozambique (L. van de Kamp). Part 3, Health care provision: reflections on religion, is composed of: Health and the uses of religion: recovering the political proper? (J.R. Cochrane); Marshalling the powers: the challenge of everyday religion for development (E. Graveling); and Sacred struggles: the World Council of Churches and the HIV epidemic in Africa. The Conclusion: reflections on modernization without secularization is by B. Bompani and M. Frahm-Arp. [ASC Leiden abstract]