The Institute of Development Studies and Partner Organisations
Browse

Beyond Phenomenology: Teaching African Traditional Religions in a Zimbabwean University

Download (604.91 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2024-09-05, 23:58 authored by Ezra Chitando
The crusade by the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe witnessed in I999 during the Constitutional Commission's outreach programme was designed to have Christianity declared the official religion of Zimbabwe. This has the danger of claiming all the religious space for Christianity. This article examines the implications for the teaching ofAfi-ican Traditional Religions (A TRs) in the University of Zimbabwe. It is argued that the preponderance of Christianity and the emergence of church-related universities pose as potential threats to the viability of ATRs as an area of academic enquiry. If ATRs are to retain their status as an important component of human religious history, there is need for a proactive approach. The article argues that although the phenomenological 'method has been popular in the study of ATRs, it may not be adequate. If the marginalisation of ATRs is to be overcome, there is need for more radical pedagogical techniques in religious studies.

A ZJER article on African traditional religious education in Zimbabwean universities.

History

Publisher

Human Resource Research Centre (HRRC) , University of Zimbabwe (UZ.)

Citation

Chitando, E. (2001) Beyond Phenomenology: Teaching African Traditional Religions in a Zimbabwean University. ZJER vol. 13, no. 2, (pp. 177-195.) UZ, Mt. Pleasant, Harare: HRRC.

IDS Item Types

Article

Copyright holder

University of Zimbabwe (UZ)

Country

Zimbabwe.

Language

en

Identifier ISSN

1013-3445

Usage metrics

    University of Zimbabwe Social Sciences Research

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Keywords

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC