Understanding Religion and Politics in Africa: A Call for the Re-enchantment of the Scholarly Imagination

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-161
Author(s):  
Anicka Fast
Keyword(s):  
Religion And Politics ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Religious Imagination ◽  
Postcolonial Africa

Abstract In his 2015 book Christianity, Development, and Modernity in Africa, Paul Gifford argues that Christianity in Africa is bifurcated into an ‘enchanted’ and a ‘disenchanted’ form. He presents the conundrum that the enchanted form is pervasive yet incompatible with modernity and consistently ignored by scholars. In this review article I draw on Gifford’s conundrum as a springboard to propose a new angle from which to analyse religion and politics in postcolonial Africa: one that moves beyond received dichotomies between tradition and modernity, public and private life, or this-worldly and otherworldly concerns. The work of Michael Schatzberg, Peter Geschiere, Ogbu Kalu, and Emmanuel Katongole moves in various ways past the oppositions that undermine Gifford’s work. In dialogue with these scholars, I articulate a plea to scholars of religion and politics in Africa to develop an appreciation for the powerful role of the religious imagination in African and global arenas of power.

scholarly journals From patriotism to political totalitarianism: the role of collective narcissism

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 48-60
Author(s):  
Dmitry S. Grigoryev
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Motivational Orientation ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Right Wing Authoritarianism ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Relationship

Background. Patriotic education is carried out in many countries, being an integral part of the process of socialization of the younger generation. At the same time, patriotism is often used by autocracies to maintain power and total state control over all aspects of public and private life. What is the socio-psychological aspect of this possible transformation? Objective. The aim of the study was to test the model of the relationship between patriotism, nationalism, rightwing authoritarianism and political totalitarianism, as well as to examine the role of collective narcissism in these relationships. We hypothesized that patriotism is not directly related to totalitarianism, this connection is mediated by nationalism and right-wing authoritarianism, while patriotism and nationalism are connected only under the condition of a high level of collective narcissism (i.e., collective narcissism demonstrates the effect of moderation). Design. The study of the role of collective narcissism in the relationship between patriotism, nationalism, rightwing authoritarianism and political totalitarianism was carried out in 2018 on a gender-balanced sample of residents of Russia (N — 232) aged 16 to 61 (M — 28.5; SD — 10.2). Reliable and valid tools were used for measurements: cultural patriotism and nationalism (Grigoryan 2013; Grigoryan, Lepshokova, 2012), collective narcissism (Golec de Zavala et al., 2009), right-wing authoritarianism (Bizumic, Duckitt, 2018). A cross-sectional single-sample correlation design was applied using data from a socio-psychological survey. The data was collected in 2018 through an online survey conducted by an independent commercial research company as a result of a survey of their own panel of respondents. The survey was conducted using various Likert scales. All scales that had not previously been translated into Russian were adapted by double translation and cognitive interviews using the “think-aloud” technique (Batkhina, Grigoryev, 2019). Results. The hypotheses that were put forward were confirmed. It was found that (1) patriotism is not directly related to totalitarianism: nationalism and authoritarianism mediated the relationship between patriotism and totalitarianism, and nationalism mediated the relationship between patriotism and authoritarianism; (2) patriotism is positively associated with nationalism only if the level of collective narcissism is high; (3) nationalism is positively associated with authoritarianism and totalitarianism, and authoritarianism with totalitarianism. Conclusions. Collective narcissism may reflect the process of compensating for low self-esteem and lack of control over their lives in people, and generate belief in an exalted image of the in-group and its right to special recognition. Subsequently, this helps to use patriotism as a basis for supporting political totalitarianism. Nationalism and authoritarianism can carry an instrumental function in this process acting as certain strategies for the implementation of the motivational orientation set by collective narcissism.

RethinkingDover: Religion, Science, and the Values of Democratic Citizenship

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 441-462
Author(s):  
Susan P. Liebell
Keyword(s):  
Intelligent Design ◽  
Science Classroom ◽  
School Science ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Democratic Citizenship ◽  
Civic Identity ◽  
Constitutional Rights ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Role Of Religion

AbstractTheDoverdecision restricted the mention of Intelligent Design in a public school science classroom yet theDoveropinion offers an inadequate defensive position. Liberal democracy can exclude Intelligent Design based on the Establishment Clause yet courts do not affirm the teaching of best available science or connect teaching science to other constitutional rights, duties, or institutions. AlthoughDoverhas triggered a debate over the role of religion in public and private life, the case reveals complex issues regarding science, citizenship, and the values of liberal democratic civic identity. In three sections, this article (1) reviews the creationism jurisprudence; (2) dissects theDoverdecision; and (3) suggests an alternative juridical approach grounded in an education case,Plyler v. Doe, in which education creates citizens who are politically competent, economically fit, and capable of self-development. The conclusion reframes the debate over Intelligent Design as one of civic identity and political reproduction arguing that liberals, using the ideas of Brennan, Marshall, and Breyer must make a positive case for the role of science in shaping the liberal citizen, worker, and person.

scholarly journals Housing habitability in times of COVID-19 in Mexico. Case of Culiacan

2021 ◽  
pp. 77-112
Author(s):  
Mercedes Verdugo López ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Statistical Processing ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Short Time

The prolonged social distancing caused by the Covid-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented condition that has severely impacted on the different aspects of public and private life in Mexico. One of the most affected areas is the role of housing and its habitability. In a very short time, homes have become a place of work, a school, and sometimes a medical care facility. This article exposes the importance of the inhabitant's bond with their home and the habitability that is reconfigured in the social conditions imposed by the current health crisis. We believe that preventive isolation can contribute to containing contagions if the living conditions encourage to the collaboration of citizens. The methodology consists of a case study carried out in Culiacán, one of the Mexican cities most affected by the pandemic. The analysis is derived from the statistical processing of an online survey, applied in two times to the target population. In the first, 231 questionnaires were processed as a filter and in the second 50, which contained the most significant topics on the subject.

Religious Freedom and Human Rights in Kazakhstan

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-127
Author(s):  
Roman Podoprigora ◽  
Nurlan Apakhayev ◽  
Aizhan Zhatkanbayeva ◽  
Dina Baimakhanova ◽  
Elina P Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Religious Activity ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Religious Issues ◽  
Church Relationships ◽  
The Government ◽  
Role Of Religion

Abstract Many post-Soviet governments are still unable to identify the attitude to religious freedom and religious activity. The human rights trend adjoins with a very suspicious attitude to the religious phenomena as a relic of the Soviet regime of the state–church relationships. Moreover, the professional communities and society as a whole were not appropriately prepared for the religious diversity or the new role of religion in public and private life. This article discusses why the government is very careful in the regulation of religious processes. The article also explains the reasons of inattention by Kazakhstani lawyers to human rights and religious issues and analyses the situation regarding religious freedom within frames of existing legislation in Kazakhstan.

Domestic architecture and the materiality of public-making in pre-Columbian Eastern Peru

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Guengerich
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Domestic Architecture ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Domestic Life ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Residential Architecture ◽  
Modes Of Engagement ◽  
Industrial Societies

Understanding how publics were constituted in specific socio-historical settings is critical to understanding political practice in past societies. Yet the persistent use of terms such as “public space” and “public architecture” belies the influence of binary models of public and private life that still impact understandings of domestic life and residential architecture. I argue that the continued influence of these models results from the notion that publics in pre-industrial societies were produced primarily through large gatherings associated with standardized kinds of places such as plazas and monuments. This paper, in contrast, takes advantage of the exceptionally well-preserved site complex of Tambillo in Eastern Peru in order to explore how the material qualities of architecture, rather than its spatial layout, mediate the production of publics. I consider how three different modes of engagement with domestic architecture in particular—construction, discourse, and affiliation—generated multiple, diverse publics among the communities of Tambillo. This example demonstrates the variety of ways in which built environments create publics and underscores the need to acknowledge the role of domestic architecture within a broader ecology of the built environment as a whole.

scholarly journals The place and role of the Police in upbringing in sobriety and counteracting alcoholism

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 76-92
Author(s):  
Barbara Jaworska-Dębska ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Common Factors ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Public Order ◽  
Illegal Trade ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Special Place ◽  
General Competence

The Police as a uniformed service, functioning throughout the country, is established in order to take care of security and public order. The Police occupy a special place among other public administration bodies operating in this field. This place of the Police undoubtedly follows the fact that it functions on the basis of a general competence regulation in the scope of ensuring security and public order. Alcohol and its abuse, illegal consumption or illegal trade are one of the most common factors generating situations leading to breach of safety and order in many areas of public and private life. Furthermore, is the fact that as a uniformed service with power, it has the ability to use police coercion.

scholarly journals Football in Uzbekistan: Law, Leisure and Sociology

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 1995-2002
Author(s):  
Nigora Sabirjanovna Abdikadirova Et al.
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Value System ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
World Community ◽  
The World ◽  
The Individual

Relevance. In the process of development of the country, the value system plays an important role, to participate in politics and sports, to acquire a place in the world community. This will require specialists who carry out certain missions in these areas. Football is one such medium that works at the micro and macro levels. Aim. This article was written with the aim of analysing the place of football in public and private life, socialization, in organizing people's leisure time, the situation of football in Uzbekistan, problems and their solutions. Methods. Scientific methods were applied such as working with documents, comparative analysis, literature review, questionnaires, statistics, etc. Results. As a result of the survey, the problems of football in the country and the decisions taken to eliminate them were clarified, as well as the role of football in leisure and socialization of the individual. Conclusion. In the conclusion, conclusions are given on this topic.

Secularism and Politics

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremiah J. Castle ◽  
Patrick L. Schoettmer
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Religion And Politics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Political Conservatism ◽  
The Individual

An increasingly important area within the subfield of religion and politics is the study of secularism, an ideology that seeks to limit the influence of religion in public and private life. Secularism can refer to conditions at the societal level (public secularism) or at the individual level (private secularism). In addition, it can take the form of simply an absence of religion (passive secularism), or it can include an affirmative acceptance of secular ideals (active secularism). Comparative studies highlight the complex ways in which secularism both influences and is influenced by politics. In Western Europe, the long-standing practice of established and/or preferred religions has led to a lack of vitality in the religious marketplace, resulting in high levels of private secularism. In Russia and other Eastern European nations, the end of communism and political motivations are leading to both decreasing public and private secularism. In the Middle East, secularization throughout the 20th century seems to have led to a fundamentalist backlash. Similarly, in the United States, the increasing association between religion and political conservatism seems to be driving increasing levels of private secularism. Together, these lessons suggest that both political factors and local context are key to understanding the relationship between secularism and politics.

Beyond Conflict: The Role of Work-Private Life Enrichment for Expatriates

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina Kempen ◽  
Karsten Mueller ◽  
Tammo Straatmann ◽  
Kate Hattrup ◽  
Sven-Oliver Spiess
Keyword(s):  
Private Life

State-cathedral nature of the first-rate Kiev

2000 ◽  
pp. 60-67
Author(s):  
M. M. Nikitenko
Keyword(s):  
World History ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Local Version ◽  
Russian Society ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Main Center

The inclusion of Eastern Slavs in the sphere of religious and cultural influences of Byzantium was a tremendous event both in national and in world history. Since then, the main center of the culture of Kievan Rus, incorporating a complex of ideas and functions of the spiritual, public and private life of ancient Russian society, became the Eastern Christian temple in its local version

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