MIASA Working Papers
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://197.255.125.131:4000/handle/123456789/41285
Browse
2 results
Search Results
Item The Question of Religious Authority: Ga Converts and Non-Indigenes in Muslim Identity Politics in Postcolonial Accra(Merian Institute for Advances Studies in Africa (MIASA), 2023) Dumbe, Y.This contribution to the working paper focuses on the religious conversion to Islam of some Ga ethnic people, their role in the Islamic revival and their impact on founding Muslim communities in postcolonial Accra. Ga converts have considered themselves as relevant to assuming religious authority positions in Accra, which was already dominated by Muslims of migrant descent. The issues of representation and integration have been a challenge for Muslims of diverse backgrounds in the Islamic sphere in Accra. The study demonstrates that while the Ga converts have highlighted their unique background in secular education as well as being the indigenes of Accra, the Muslims of migrant origin have questioned the place of converts in religious proselytization.Item Religious Diversity through the Life Trajectories of Northern Migrants in Madina, Accra(Merian Institute for Advances Studies in Africa (MIASA), 2023) Zaami, M.In this paper, I explore the interrelatedness of individual migration and religious conversion stories, both temporal and permanent. Through two contrastive case studies, I analyze the role of migration in religious diversity among Christians, Muslims, and practitioners of African Religious Traditions in Accra’s urban settings. I illustrate how the life trajectories of Aisha and Solomon provide some critical and insightful perspectives on how migration and urban settings intersect in shaping individual social actors’ lived religious experiences in a multi-religious field and help them navigate between different familial and societal demands, as well as how individuals’ upbringings can impact religious diversity.