Christianity and Social Thought in Contemporary African Literature

Against the background of ongoing debates about decolonisation and religion in Africa, this project examines the representation of, and engagement with Christianity in contemporary African literature. The focus is on a selection of Anglophone novels published in the post-2000 era, written by the current generation of writers from different parts of the continent. As much as the project is primarily concerned with Christianity, it firmly acknowledges that Christianity itself in Africa is diverse, complex, and multifaceted, and cannot be thought of in isolation but only in relation to broader religious, cultural, social, and political milieus. Indeed, the selected novels engage with Christian beliefs and practices in relation to a range of critical issues, such as gender and sexuality, poverty and development, ecology, conflict and violence, peace and reconciliation. Each of the selected literary texts is put in conversation with the work of an African thinker (philosopher, theologian, social theorist) in order to elucidate the key themes and critical questions regarding the status of Christianity as part of cultural production and social life in postcolonial Africa, and to further elaborate on the novels’ potential for critical and constructive social thinking.