Abstract
As with other fields in academia, the field of religion, peacebuilding and development in Africa is dominated by personalities and ideas from beyond the continent. This is largely due to historical, ideological, economic and other factors that have facilitated the dominance of scholars from Europe and North Africa in African Studies. However, the rise in studies focusing on the urgency of Africanisation and decoloniality is challenging this trend. African scholars are calling upon African institutions to prioritise knowledge production on Africa by Africans, using African resources. This chapter focuses on the contribution of one prominent African scholar, namely, Emmanuel Katongole, to discourses on religion, peacebuilding and development in Africa. It analyses his contribution in the context of Sustainable Development Goal 16, which seeks to promote peace, justice and strong institutions. It argues that Katongole provides a valuable platform for the formation of durable African traditions in the study of religion, peacebuilding and development in Africa.
I am grateful to Nyambura Njoroge for introducing me to, and continuing to encourage me to retain interest in, the works of Emmanuel Katongole. I am also grateful to the Nagel Institute, through the Africa Theological Advance, for a Research Grant for the project, “An Exploration of Christian Perspectives on Forgiveness in Light of the Gukurahundi Atrocities of the early 1980s in Zimbabwe,” 2018-2020, which was headed by Nisbert T. Taringa.
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Notes
- 1.
Emmanuel Katongole, Eerdmans Author Interview Series. YouTube. See also, EEDWORD: The EEDMANS Blog. “Five Questions with Emmanuel Katongole,” Eedmans, May 16, 2017. Available at https://eerdword.com/five-questions-with-emmanuel-katongole/, accessed 30 December 2022.
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Chitando, E. (2023). African Traditions in the Study of Religion, Peacebuilding and Development in Africa: Engaging with Emmanuel Katongole. In: Kilonzo, S.M., Chitando, E., Tarusarira, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Religion, Peacebuilding, and Development in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36829-5_23
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