Institutes
The Department is home to three institutes dedicated to quality research in the study of religion in Africa. Each Institute is directed by leading researchers on the relationship between religion and developments in contemporary African culture and thought. There are also three journals published through these institutes.
Centre for Contemporary Islam (CCI)
The CCI was founded in 1995 to bring attention to the scholarly study of Islam and Muslim societies and communities in Africa and beyond. Since then, it has completed a number of research projects and cooperated with researchers and institutes across the globe. The subjects of the projects have varied from Islamic Law in Africa to Religion, Culture and Identity in post-apartheid South Africa. New projects are currently underway that place an emphasis on Muslim Publics in Africa, on religious values, and on gender and sexuality.More on CCI...
Institute for Comparative Religion in Southern Africa (ICRSA)
ICRSA is made of a diverse group of researchers and lecturers that are dedicated to the postcolonial study of religion and religions. As part of the ongoing aim to contribute to the field of postcolonialism, the ICRSA team provide research support to Prof David Chidester who has written a sequel to his award winning book Savage Systems: Colonialism and Comparative Religion in Southern Africa (University Press of Virginia) as part of his "Empire of Religion" project. More on ICRSA...
Research Institute for Christianity and Society in Southern Africa (RICSA) and the International Religious Health Assets Programme (IRHAP)
The Research Institute on Christianity and Society in Africa was headed by Prof Jim Cochrane and engages in high quality research on Christianity in public life and action in the context of challenges of globalization, diversity and identity in Africa. A multi-year project on "The Social History of Christianity in South Africa, 1487-1994",has recently been completed with multiple volumes, archives and a database now available on CD-ROM. RICSA is also the southern Africa hub of the International Religious Health Assets Programme (IRHAP), a transdisciplinary and collaborative research project focussed on the interface between religion and public health. More on RICSA or IRHAP...
And to purchase a copy of the CD-ROM contact Birgit Taylor.
Department of Religious Studies, University of Cape Town
