Decolonizing the Study of Africa-Related Religions

This article examines the ongoing process of decolonizing the study of Africa-related religions, which has been shaped by the Anglicizing civilizing mission in sub-Saharan Africa and the current state of English-language academic research. It highlights the importance of understanding researchers’ positionality and the power asymmetries involved in the negotiation of Africa, religion, and education. The first part of the article presents a historical example from Liberia around 1900, illustrating the role of agency and language in the institutionalization of religious studies. The second part emphasizes the significance of translocal entanglements and the differentiation of positionalities for academic collaboration. The article argues that the Christian-European civilizing project continues to influence the field, making the decolonization project and efforts to localize knowledge production about Africa an ongoing and unfinished task. Finally, it offers three theses to inspire future research and discussions on Africa, religion, and coloniality.