Christianity, Sexuality and Citizenship in Africa

This book explores the interconnections between Christianity, sexuality and citizenship in sub-Saharan Africa, chronicling the ways in which citizenship in the region has undergone profound changes in recent decades as a result of growing interaction between Christianity and politics, and the growing visibility of LGBT communities.

Case studies examine the emergence of Christianity, especially in its Pentecostal-Charismatic forms, as a public religion, and how this emergence has meant that Christian actors, beliefs and practices have increasingly come to manifest themselves in the public sphere. The contributors assess how many political and religious leaders are invested in a popular ideology of the heterosexual family as the basis of nation-building, and how this defines narratives of nationhood and shapes notions of citizenship. Additional case studies focus on the emergence of sexuality as a critical site of citizenship and nationhood in postcolonial Africa, and address the difficulties that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities face in claiming recognition from the state.

Offering case studies from across sub-Saharan Africa, and spanning several academic disciplines and critical perspectives, this book will be of interest to researchers seeking to understand the complex intersections of religion, sexuality, politics and citizenship across the region. This book was originally published as a special issue of Citizenship Studies.

Adriaan van Klinken is Associate Professor of Religion and African Studies at the University of Leeds, UK and Director of the Leeds University Centre for African Studies and of the Centre for Religion and Public Life. His research focuses on the politics of religion, gender and sexuality in contemporary Africa.

Ebenezer Obadare is Professor of Sociology at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA and a Research Fellow at the Research Institute for Theology and Religion at the University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa. His research focuses on civil society and the state, religion and politics, and citizenship in Africa.