Panel 80A at the European Conference on African Studies
Religious NGO s as new agents of change in African societies
The African continent has been the recipient of development aid for over five decades. The post-Cold War era has seen foreign aid increasingly channelled through international and domestic NGOs rather than through bilateral assistance. The rise of neo-liberalism as the dominant development paradigm, also known as the ‘New Policy Agenda’, has solidified the prominence of NGOs in the global system. Many African countries have experienced a flood of NGOs, both foreign and indigenous. Amongst these NGOs a growing number are faith-based, suggesting that religious NGOs have come to be significant agents of change in African societies. Further, religious NGOs are ecoming important not only within development discourse and practice, but also as policy instruments and actors in a period where religious faith and sentiment is at the centre of public policy and discourse.
Despite this, the roles of religious NGOs remain under-researched in civil society research. In the process of understanding the social roles of religious NGOs in Africa, and their issues is untapped. The primary goal of this panel is to encourage interest and to stimulate debates regarding both the empirical realities of faith-based NGOs in Africa as well as their implications for understanding broader theoretical and organisational issues.
Panelists:
Ahmed, Chanfi (Berlin): Sunni and Shi´a Islamic NGOs in East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania): African Muslim Agency, Al-Haramayn and
Bilal Muslim Mission.
Taguem Fah, Gilbert (Ngaoundéré) and Théodore Takou (Yaoundé 1): Between Secular and Spiritual : Considering islamic Faith Based
Non-Profit organizations in Cameroon
Kaag, Mayke (Leiden): The work of Transnational Islamic NGOs in Africa: Chad and Senegal compared
LeBlanc, Marie Nathalie (Montréal); Gomez-Perez, Muriel (Quebec City) and Mathias Savadogo (Cocody-Abidjan): Faith-based NGO and
recent religious transformations in West Africa
Fri, 5 June, 11:30 – 13:30
Room: S222
Panel Convenor(s):
Muriel Gomez-Perez
Muriel.Gomez-Perez@hst.ulaval.ca
Marie Nathalie LeBlanc
leblanc.marie-nathalie@uqam.ca
Chair(s):
Marleen Renders
Discussant:
Roman Loimeier
http://www.uni-leipzig.de/~ecas2009/documents/conference%20book%20ecas_web.pdf
