DECOLONISING THEOLOGY AND RECONSTRUCTING RELIGIOUS IDENTITY IN POSTCOLONIALNIGERIA: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY OF HISTORY AND RELIGION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68653/q748zd89Keywords:
Colonialism, Missionary Enterprise, Cultural Displacement, African Identity, Postcolonial TheologyAbstract
This article explores the historical and theological implications of colonialism and Christian missionary enterprise on African cultural identity, with particular emphasis on Nigeria. It argues that while missions introduced education and healthcare, they simultaneously contributed to cultural dislocation by undermining African Traditional Religions (ATRs), social structures, and indigenous values. Employing a historical-theological methodology, the study draws upon archival records, mission reports, oral narratives, and indigenous theological writings to examine how religious conversion was entwined with colonial domination. Guided by postcolonial theory and inculturation theology, the paper critiques the ways in which missionary Christianity functioned as both a spiritual and cultural disruptor. Postcolonial theory reveals the mechanisms of cultural imperialism and the identity crises it generated, while inculturation theology provides a framework for understanding African responses that sought to reclaim agency, dignity, and contextual spirituality. The rise of African Independent Churches (AICs), theological reinterpretations, and resistance movements are analysed as expressions of resilience and cultural resurgence. This interdisciplinary inquiry contributes to both Religious Studies and History by offering a nuanced understanding of religion‘s role in Africa‘s colonial past and postcolonial identity formation. It further calls for a theologically grounded decolonisation process that honours African cultural heritage within contemporary faith expressions.
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