1. Introduction: Christianity, Islam, and Liberal Democracy
2. Time, Place, and the Application of Religion to Politics
3. The Role of Religious Leaders
4. The Impact of Religious Communities
5. A Closer Look at Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda
6. The Curious Case of Nigeria
7. Important Lessons and New Questions
Appendix A
Appendix B
Bibliography
Index
Robert A. Dowd is Assistant Professor of Political Science and director of the Ford Family Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
"Dowd produced a significant ground-breaking study that should
stimulate other researchers to do likewise and build on his
hypothesis. ... it is a text not only for those keenly interested
in the nexus between religion and politics in Sub-Saharan Africa,
but it is necessary reading for Africanists be they political
scientists, policy makers, or religious-studies specialists." --
Muhammed Haron, Islamic Studies
"The book thus in presenting [a] copious wealth of knowledge in the
interfacing roles of Christianity and Islam in promoting the
culture of liberal democracy in sub-Saharan Africa in the same vein
presents itself as a veritable springboard for further
research."--Nwankwo T. Nwaezeigwe, African Studies Quarterly
"Robert Dowd's fascinating work highlights religious diversity and
integration in a broadly tolerant, democratic African culture. This
book is based on thorough field research, and specialists will find
insights on every page. But the book should not be consigned solely
to academia. It has immediate relevance to policy makers crafting
responses to ethnic and religious conflict in Africa in general,
and, in particular, to the bloody, radical Islamist insurgency
called Boko Haram in northern Nigeria." --Amb. John Campbell, ret.,
Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, Council on
Foreign Relations
"Robert Dowd wrestles with the counter-intuitive hypothesis that
religious diversity in African contexts predicts greater tolerance,
which over time facilitates a political culture of liberal
democracy. This is in contrast to the frequent assumption that
religious homogeneity leads to more political stability and that
more diversity leads to conflict. I strongly recommend this book
both to scholars of African religion and political culture, and to
generalists
trying to make sense of larger global patterns." --John N. Paden,
Clarence Robinson Professor of International Studies, George Mason
University
"In lucid and accessible prose, Robert Dowd offers startling new
observations about the relationship between religion and democracy
in a region often neglected by political scientists and policy
analysts-sub-Saharan Africa. And the conclusion he draws is of
enormous theoretical and practical significance: that intense
religious diversity and inter-religious interaction are not a
hindrance to democracy but a key catalyst for the development of
robust political
and religious freedom. This is a landmark book that should be
required reading for scholars and policy makers alike." --Timothy
Samuel Shah, Associate Director & Scholar in Residence, Religious
Freedom
Project, Berkley Center For Religion, Peace & World Affairs,
Georgetown University
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