Bokpublikation: Pentecostalism in the Postcolony

Polin-institutets postdoktorala forskare Martina Björkander ordnade i augusti 2024 tillsammans med Polin-institutet konferensen ”Pentecostalism and the Dialectics of Christianity in the Postcolony”. Nu har publikationen Pentecostalism in the Postcolony. Dialectics, Dynamics, and Transformations in Africa (Routledge, 2026) utkommit. Boken är redigerad av Peter White, Martina Björkander och Elias Kifon Bongmba.

Citat från Routledges webbsida:

This volume explores Pentecostalism’s multifaceted nature in Africa, examining its dialectical engagements, dynamic expressions, and transformative potential across the continent’s spiritual, social, and political landscapes in postcolonial contexts.

The volume brings together a range of scholarly voices to offer a comprehensive and critical engagement with Pentecostalism in Africa, spanning Uganda, Ethiopia, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Ghana. A central thread is the concept of dialectics, as the authors move beyond simplistic narratives to embrace the inherent tensions and contradictions that define African Pentecostalism. It is a faith of both continuity and radical rupture, one that simultaneously draws from the wellsprings of missionary Christianity while reconfiguring it through distinctly African cultural and spiritual lenses. The volume recognises that the movement cannot be understood apart from the historical legacies of colonialism and the contemporary challenges facing African nations. The chapters explore how Pentecostal churches and believers are grappling with pressing issues such as poverty, gender inequality, democratic governance, and health crises, often emerging as a theology of hope and empowerment that offers new forms of agency and social positioning to its adherents. Grounded in African studies and employing diverse methodological approaches, the book offers in-depth ethnographic case studies, theological analysis, and postcolonial critique.

It is a timely and valuable contribution to the study of Pentecostalism and its enduring global impact.

Table of contents:

THEME I: FRAMING THE DIALECTICS

Chapter 1: Introduction: Pentecostalism in the Postcolony – Dialectics, Dynamics, and Transformations in Africa
Peter White, Martina Björkander, and Elias Kifon Bongmba

Chapter 2: Living in a Complex World: How Pentecostalism Intersects With and Affects the Socio-Political and Religious Realities of Contemporary Africa
Elias Kifon Bongmba

Chapter 3: P(new)umatologisation in African Pentecostalism: A Matrix of Spirit, Resistance, and Renewal
Chammah J. Kaunda

THEME II: POLITICS, POWER, AND POSTCOLONIAL AGENCY

Chapter 4: Pentecostalism in Uganda: Politics and Adherence to African Worldviews
Evelyn Namakula B Mayanja

Chapter 5: Precarious Pentecostal Politics: Rethinking Religious Agency in Ethiopia
Jörg Haustein

Chapter 6: Iviyo loFakazi: Negotiating Pentecostalism, Anglicanism, Colonialism, and Apartheid in South Africa
Henry Mbaya, and Thokozile J Mbaya

Chapter 7: A Prophet of the Postcolony: Babu wa Loliondo
Mika Vähäkangas

Chapter 8: The Yoke Is Cracking, But Our Hands Are Still Bound: Imagining a Decolonised Pentecostal Theology in Malawi
Harvey Kwiyani

THEME III: GENDER, IDENTITY, AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION

Chapter 9: The Woman Called Man: A Lens into Gender Dynamics and the Import Transformation in African Pentecostalism
Itohan Idumwonyi

Chapter 10: Classical Pentecostalism in Rwanda: Women’s Roles in the Founding, Expansion and Institutional Consolidation
Viateur Habarurema

Chapter 11: Reordering the Christian Home: Pentecostalism and Family Life Transformations in Ghana
Felicity Apaah

THEME IV: WORSHIP, SOUNDSCAPES, AND CULTURAL REFRAMING

Chapter 12: Tope Alabi and the Oríkì of Olódùmarè: Reframing Yorùbá Praise Poetry in Pentecostal Soundscapes
Akeem Adagbada

Chapter 13: Moving with the One Who Moves: Pentecostal Worship as a Dialectic Ritual Practice
Martina Björkander

Chapter 14: ’Born-Again’ Kingship and Pentecostal Musical Performance in Nigeria: A Study of the Royal Fathers’ Choir of the Redeemed Christian Church of God
Toyin Samuel Ajose

THEME V: ECONOMICS, DEVELOPMENT, AND SOCIAL PRAXIS

Chapter 15: Contextual Analysis of Money and Socioeconomic Realities: Ghanaian Pentecostals’ Perspective
Jeremiah Agbeshie

Chapter 16: Together Towards Life and Mission: An Appraisal of Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatics Council’s Mission Theology and Praxis in Light of the SDGs 1, 2, 5, 8, and 10
Peter White

Chapter 17: Reimagining Development in Postcolonial Africa Through the Lens of Nigerian Neo-Pentecostal Churches
Babatunde Adedibu

THEME VI: YOUTH, PROPHECY, AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Chapter 18: African Pentecostalism, African Ancestorship, and the Gap in Between
Benson Ohihon Igboin

Chapter 19: Moving with the Flow: Reflections on Movement and Flow Among Young Pastors in Charismatic Christianity in Ghana
Karen Lauterbach

Chapter 20: Conclusion: Concluding Remarks and Constructive Reflections on Pentecostal Dynamics in Postcolonial Africa
Martina Björkander, Peter White, and Elias Kifon Bongmba

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