Introduction: the Formation of Religious Minorities in Muslim Africa

Minorities are not defined by mere numbers but must be considered as emergent formations within their wider surroundings. As such, minorities are defined by the relations to their majorities, especially by the differences to, but also by their exchanges with them, which have an impact on their lives...

Description complète

Enregistré dans:  
Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs: Østebø, Terje 1968- (Auteur) ; Pontzen, Benedikt ca. 20./21. Jh. (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
En cours de chargement...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publié: Brill 2022
Dans: Islamic Africa
Année: 2022, Volume: 13, Numéro: 2, Pages: 115-132
Sujets non-standardisés:B Religious Diversity
B Minorities
B Islam
B Social Fabric
B Religious Encounters
B Muslim Africa
Accès en ligne: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Résumé:Minorities are not defined by mere numbers but must be considered as emergent formations within their wider surroundings. As such, minorities are defined by the relations to their majorities, especially by the differences to, but also by their exchanges with them, which have an impact on their lives and communal identities. Minorities emerge in larger processes and narratives by which their surrounding societies render themselves into imagined communities and thereby partake in the remaking of the wider social fabric. Focusing on religious minorities in Muslim Africa, this introduction to the special issue provides a framework for how to understand how various minorities form and how their minority status impacts how they live their religion, see themselves as members of society, and make claims towards the state. The introduction moreover reviews the scholarly work done on the different religious minorities found within Muslim Africa and presents the essays included in the special issue. Considering the resulting social dynamics and their surrounding debates, we move beyond an understanding of Muslim Africa as coined solely by its Sunni Muslim majority.
ISSN:2154-0993
Contient:Enthalten in: Islamic Africa
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/21540993-01302000