Regulating Religious Coexistence (Paperback)

Paperback. Regulating Religious Coexistence offers a compelling ethnographic analysis of how Muslims, Christians, and practitioners of indigenous African religions negotiate coexistence in Kenyas coastal region. The book conceptualizes religious diversity as a dynamic field shaped by multiple partly intersecting and partly conflicting models of interaction. These include the political secularism promoted by the Kenyan state and civil society organizations focused on interfaith harmony, forms of competition between religious groups, and pluralistic practices in which individuals draw on multiple traditions to meet spiritual needs.Through a close examination of civil society initiatives funded by Western donors to foster peacebuilding and to counter violent extremism, the book investigates how these models for coexistence are negotiated and contested and how they intersect with historical and contemporary patterns. It demonstrates that modes of religious coexistence in coastal Kenya have been shaped by colonial and postcolonial governance, transregional connections, and interactions between Christians, Muslims, and Traditionalists across time.As one of the few monographs on political secularism in an African context, Regulating Religious Coexistence makes a significant contribution to scholarship on religious diversity and coexistence. It situates Christianity, Islam, and indigenous African traditions within a single conceptual framework, broadening earlier studies that mostly treated them in isolation. This book is essential reading for scholars of religion, anthropology, African studies, and political theory, offering fresh insights into the complex realities of religious diversity in Africa and beyond. Regulating Religious Coexistence explores how Muslims, Christians, and practitioners of indigenous African religions negotiate coexistence in coastal Kenya. It analyzes political secularism, interfaith initiatives, religious competition, and pluralistic practices, showing how historical governance and global connections shape diverse models of religious interaction. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…