Abstract
Three main religious traditions—indigenous African beliefs and practices (African religion), Christianity and Islam—have dominated everyday life of communities in Africa today. Scholarship on religion indicates that only African religion originated in Africa— Christianity and Islam are foreign religions. Many Africans today have been active Christians and Muslims, who are sometimes being misleadingly taught that African religion is demonic and forms of paganism. This article employs historical and philosophical approaches to show how the study of African religion has navigated through various historical currents and resultant implications on the way the current generation views it. In the end, the article proposes an impartial approach to the study of African religion. It is premised on the argument that African religion is there to stay, both as an academic discipline and a spiritual entity despite the challenges.
Recommended Citation
Kivinge, Ivan B.
(2024)
"Revisiting African Religion as an Academic Discipline in Africa: History and Prospects,"
Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies: Vol. 1:
Iss.
2, Article 6.
DOI: 10.56279/ZJAHS1126
Available at:
https://commons.udsm.ac.tz/zjahs/vol1/iss2/6
Included in
Africana Studies Commons, African History Commons, Architectural History and Criticism Commons, Development Studies Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, History of Religion Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Labor History Commons, Military History Commons, Oral History Commons, Policy History, Theory, and Methods Commons, Political History Commons, Public History Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons, Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons, Women's History Commons