Religious Activism on Campuses in Togo and Benin : Christian and Muslim Students Navigating Authoritarianism and Laïcité, 1970–2023 / Frédérick Madore.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Madore, Frédérick, Author.

Contributor:

Zentrum Moderner Orient (Berlin, Germany), Funder.

Series:

ZMO-Studien Series

ZMO-Studien : Studien des Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient ; 48

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (XIX, 288 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter, [2025]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The interplay between religion and student activism at the universities of Abomey-Calavi (Benin) and Lomé (Togo) has often been overlooked, although faith-based organisations and student unions have coexisted since the 1970s. Based on interviews with different generations of activists, this book uncovers the neglected history of Christian and Muslim student associations on these campuses, originally strongholds of leftist and secular ideologies. It analyses the emergence of these groups under a Marxist-Leninist regime in Benin and a one-party dictatorship in Togo, and explores the implications of growing religiosity for these public universities as secular institutions. The history of these associations reveals the campus as a microcosm reflecting wider national socio-political life, while also highlighting the importance of translocal factors in shaping the internal dynamics of these groups. Amidst the massification of university enrolments and rising graduate unemployment, faith-based associations have come to provide more than religious guidance. Increasingly, they offer a "social curriculum", providing a space for socialisation and a set of skills, norms and moral values that complement the secular academic curriculum.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgements

Timeline and Map

List of the Main Abbreviations and Acronyms

List of Figures

Preface

1 Introduction

2 The Advent of Military Regimes and the

3 Surviving in an Authoritarian Context: The First Faith-Based Student Associations on Campuses (1970s–80s)

4 Faith-Based Activism in an Era of Democratisation and Campuses in Turmoil (1990s)

5 Developing Leaders with Moral Values: Providing Entrepreneurial Skills Beyond the Academic Curriculum (2000–10s)

6 The Becoming of Former Activists Beyond Campus: A New Religious Elite?

7 ‘Too Young’, ‘Immature’, and not Committed Enough: The Decline of Faith-Based Student Organisations?

Conclusion: A History of Resilience, Adaptation, and Community

Sources and Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 20. Mar 2025)

This eBook is made available Open Access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

ISBN:

9783111428895

3111428893

OCLC:

1504162921