Sacral Ambiguity in Nigeria
Lecture by Professor of African Religious Traditions and African Studies Jacob Kehinde Olupona from Harvard University on May 31, 2016, at Freie Universität Berlin
№ 168/2016 from May 23, 2016
The changing face of religion in contemporary Nigeria is the subject of a lecture to be given by Prof. Dr. Jacob Kehinde Olupona, a professor of African religious traditions and African and African American studies at Harvard University, on May 31, 2016, at Freie Universität. His lecture will highlight the dynamics of religious tension, conflict, co-existence, and reconciliation in the evolution of modern Nigeria, especially since political independence in 1960. Moreover, he will address coexistence and rapprochement between the two religions. The lecture will be followed by a discussion between Prof. Olupona and Dr. Birgit Meyer, a professor of religious studies at Utrecht University and an expert on West Africa, moderated by Prof. Dr. Hansjörg Dilger from Freie Universität. The lecture and discussion will be in English. The event is public, and admission is free.
Nigeria is unique among African countries, says Prof. Jacob Kehinde Olupona, as it has the largest population and the greatest cultural and ethnic diversity. It is also the largest country in the world with an approximate balance between its Christian and Muslim population. Despite these centrifugal challenges, Nigeria has maintained its national and territorial integrity.
Jacob Kehinde Olupona is a professor of religious traditions and a professor of African and African American studies at Harvard University. His main fields of research are indigenous religions in Nigeria and the dynamics of civil religions and religious pluralism in Africa and the African Diaspora. As a recipient of the Reimar Lüst Prize awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, he is currently a visiting fellow at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Freie Universität Berlin.
The event was organized by Kristina Dohrn, a researcher at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Freie Universität Berlin.
Further Information
Time and Location
- Tuesday, May 31, 2016, 6:30 p.m.
- Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstraße 23/25, Room 2.2059, 14195 Berlin. subway station: Thielplatz or Dahlem-Dorf (U3).
Contact
Kristina Dohrn, Researcher, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Freie Universität Berlin, Tel.: +49 30 838-62892, Email: kristina.dohrn@fu-berlin.de