Crossing Religious Boundaries: Islam, Christianity, and 'Yoruba Religion' in Lagos, Nigeria

Religious pluralism in multi-faith settings like Lagos challenges traditional notions of religion and offers a broader perspective that emphasizes the complex dynamics of religious traditions' entanglements. This study explores the ambivalence, inconsistency, and unpredictability of lived religion through an analytical frame of assemblage, proposing new possibilities for conceptual and methodological approaches.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 245 pages
Publication date: 02 March 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Religious pluralism, as experienced in diverse settings like Nigeria's bustling city of Lagos, presents a profound challenge to our long-held assumptions about religion. It disrupts the tidy binaries we have constructed, such as Christianity versus Islam, religion versus secularism, religious monism versus polytheism, and tradition versus modernity. In her captivating book, Marloes Janson delves into a rich ethnography of religions, religious pluralism, and practices in Lagos. Through her analysis, she explores how individuals referred to as "religious shoppers" navigate and traverse religious boundaries, coexisting with various religious traditions where they engage with them simultaneously.

Janson's approach is unique in its endeavor to broaden the conception of religion beyond a mere analysis of religious traditions as mutually exclusive. Instead, she offers a perspective that emphasizes the intricate dynamics of their actual entanglements. By incorporating real-life examples and accounts of religious practice and lived experiences, Janson's study captures the ambivalence, inconsistency, and unpredictability of lived religion. She proposes assemblage as an analytical frame, offering a way to explore the conceptual and methodological possibilities that arise from this complex terrain.

Through her ethnographic exploration, Janson sheds light on the ways in which religious pluralism shapes the lives of individuals and communities in Lagos. She highlights the complexities and nuances of religious practices, the ways in which individuals negotiate their identities within multiple religious contexts, and the challenges and opportunities that arise from the coexistence of different religious traditions. She also examines the role of religious institutions, leaders, and practitioners in shaping religious pluralism and its impact on social and political dynamics.

Religious pluralism in Lagos serves as a powerful reminder of the diversity and complexity of the world we live in. It challenges us to reexamine our assumptions and stereotypes about religion and to approach it with an open mind and a willingness to engage with different perspectives. Janson's book offers valuable insights into the lived experiences of religion and provides a framework for understanding the complexities of religious pluralism in diverse contexts. It is a must-read for anyone interested in religion, anthropology, or the study of culture and society.

Weight: 366g
Dimension: 227 x 153 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108969079