Volume 4, Issue 1, 2016
Religion and Violence in Africa
Margo Kitts
Pages 3-14
Whose “Religion” and Whose “Violence”? Definition and Diversity in African Studies
This introduction explores some complications in identifying religion and violence in the indigenous imaginations of Africa. The meaning of both terms can be contested when applied to sub-Saharan Africa, where “reenchanted traditions” (J.-A. Mbembé, “African Modes of Self-Writing”) have emerged as features of African regional wars. Examples show the necessity for expanded perspectives on religion and violence, beyond European categories of thought. Then the introduction summarizes the essays within issue 4.1.