Vol. 1 No. 1 (2022)
A Contemporary Review: Religious Pluralism, Inter-Faith Dynamics, and Women's Agency in West Africa (2021–2026)
Abstract
This systematic review synthesises contemporary scholarship (2021–2026) to critically analyse the interplay between religious pluralism, inter-faith dynamics, and the assertion of women’s agency in West Africa. It addresses a significant gap by examining how women navigate, negotiate, and are affected by the region’s intricate religious landscape, characterised by the co-existence of Islam, Christianity, and Indigenous spiritual traditions. The methodology entailed systematic searches in Scopus, Web of Science, and African-specific databases using defined keywords and explicit inclusion criteria, prioritising empirical studies and African scholarly voices. The analysis reveals that West African women are not passive subjects but active agents who employ religious pluralism as a strategic resource. The findings detail women’s innovative engagement in inter-faith dialogue, their reinterpretation of religious texts to advance rights, and their utilisation of multi-faith networks for socio-economic empowerment. Concurrently, the review identifies persistent constraints, including patriarchal structures within religious institutions and the instrumentalisation of inter-faith tensions to curtail women’s public roles. It concludes that a nuanced understanding of these lived experiences is essential for developing effective, culturally-grounded policies that promote gender equity and inter-religious harmony, thereby contributing a vital African-centred perspective to global discourses on religion and gender.
Read the Full Article
The HTML galley is loaded below for inline reading and better discovery.
How to Cite
Keywords
Research Snapshot
Desktop reading viewReferences
- Acho, G.A.R., & Bill, D.B.A. (2023). Peace and Conflict Studies. https://doi.org/10.36426/excelleropen/2022/eodec21-05 http://doi.org/10.36426/excelleropen/2022/eodec21-05
- Ajibola, I. (2023). A Deconstruction of the Cross and the Crescent for Inclusive Religious Pluralism between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. Religions. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14060782
- Azisi, A.M., Basyir, K., Najihuddin, M., Karimah, S., & Assyifa, U.H. (2023). Recontextualizing Interfaith Dialogue as an Implementation of Religious Moderation in the Modern Era: A Study of the Online-Based Inclusive Movement. FOKUS Jurnal Kajian Keislaman dan Kemasyarakatan. https://doi.org/10.29240/jf.v8i1.7461
- Basir, S.M., Aziz, S.N.A., & Kamal, M.H.M. (2023). CHINA’S SOUTH CHINA SEA CLAIMS, THE HISTORIC RIGHTS DEBATE AND THE MIDDLE APPROACH OF ISLAMIC INTERNATIONAL LAW. Journal International Studies. https://doi.org/10.32890/jis2023.19.1.10 http://dx.doi.org/10.32890/jis2023.19.1.10
- Belhaj, A. (2024). Pope Francis, Islam, and the Ethics of Recognition: Openings and Muslim Responses. Religions. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121547
- Blumenfeld, W.J. (2023). Black and off-white : an investigation of African American and Jewish conflict from Ashkenazic Jewish American perspectives.. Scholarworks (University of Massachusetts Amherst). https://doi.org/10.7275/16131989 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/5413
- Chidongo, T. (2023). Towards developing an atmospheric space for inter-religious dialogue in Africa. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v79i2.9055
- Eastwood, L., & Freistein, K. (2023). Polycentrism. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192866837.001.0001
- Goździak, E.M., & Main, I. (2023). Debating Religion and Forced Migration Entanglements. Politics of citizenship and migration. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23379-1
- Imronudin, I., & Muhammad, R. (2023). Discourse from the Perspective of Mohammed Arkoun: An Examination of the Values of Interfaith Dialogue. Potret Pemikiran. https://doi.org/10.30984/pp.v27i1.2367 http://dx.doi.org/10.30984/pp.v27i1.2367
- Janson, M., Pontzen, B., & Kresse, K. (2024). Introduction Relational Perspectives on Islam, Christianity, and African Religious Traditions in Plural Religious Fields in Africa. Religious Plurality in Africa. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781805433729-005
- Jong, A., & Ali, R. (2023). Political Islam as an Incomplete and Contested Category: A Post-Foundationalist Revision. Religions. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14080980
- Maton, Y.A. (2023). Rosemary Edet’s Contributions to Feminist Theology in West Africa. Bible in Africa Studies. https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-93246
- Mihai, C. (2023). Media, Religion, and the Public Sphere. Religions. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14101253
- Moyo, I. (2023). On the African Continental Free Trade Area, migration and the Africa–European Union relations. Africa-EU Relations and the African Continental Free Trade Area. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003314752-8
- Mukharrom, T., & Abdi, S. (2023). Harmonizing Islam and Human Rights Through the Reconstruction of Classical Islamic Tradition. SAMARAH Jurnal Hukum Keluarga dan Hukum Islam. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i1.16436
- Nakweya, G. (2023). Les relations sexuelles inter-espèces aident les renards du désert à supporter la chaleur. Nature Africa. https://doi.org/10.1038/d44148-023-00167-3
- Nordin, M., & Otterbeck, J. (2023). Migration and Religion. IMISCOE research series. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30766-9
- Nubowo, A. (2023). Promoting Indonesian Moderate Islam on the Global Stage: Non-State Actors’ Soft Power Diplomacy in the Post-New Order Era. Muslim Politics Review. https://doi.org/10.56529/mpr.v2i2.204
- Pursley, S. (2023). Political Sociality in the Narrowing of Time: Hibat al-Din al-Shahrastani and the Late Ottoman Najafi Revival. International Journal Middle East Studies. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0020743823000569
- Quisay, W. (2023). Locating ‘Praxis’ in Islamic Liberation Theology: God, Scripture, and the Problem of Suffering in Egyptian Prisons. Religions. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14091085
- Sayyid, S., & Vakil, A. (2023). Critical Muslim Studies and the Remaking of the (Ancient) World 1. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003222637-3
- Sulthon, M., Köroğlu, O., & Adeni, A. (2024). Spreading the value of inter-faith dialogue through Gus Dur’s Haul video. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v80i1.9025
- Tejel, J. (2023). Rethinking State and Border Formation in the Middle East. Edinburgh University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781399503679
- Weller, P. (2022). Fethullah Gülen’s Teaching and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97363-6