Proposals
Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity
Submission of proposals will be in two stages: first a letter of intent, due September
15, 2015. Then, following review and selection, invitations for a full proposal are due
December 8, 2015.
Please visit www.calvin.edu/nagel/rfp for complete details.
Request for Proposals
Grant Eligibility and Requirements
Our aim is to encourage interdisciplinary research from both rising and more
established African scholars working on African religion and its impact.
1.Scholars doing research to complete advanced degrees are welcome to participate
on research teams, but they are not eligible to lead teams or apply for individual
awards.
2.Projects that are primarily historical in emphasis, or that focus primarily on texts,
are not likely to be funded.
3.We encourage proposals that feature theological reflection and the development
of normative teaching and guidance and also engage insights from empirical
research.
4.Since this program aims to develop scholarship in Africa, scholars residing outside
of Africa are not eligible for individual awards. They may participate on African
based teams that feature African authorship and leadership.
If selected, researchers must commit to:
1.Undertake the proposed research on the selected theme/topic
2.Provide regular reports on the progress of the project
3.Communicate regularly (e.g. via email) with an assigned project adviser/mentor
4.Participate in the initial project development workshop and final culminating
conference
5.Produce at least one high-quality scholarly article for publication
Direct all questions to:
[email protected]
616-526-7155
OR
Nagel Institute
Calvin College
3201 Burton St. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA
Nagel Institute
for the Study of
World Christianity
A n I n s t I t u t e o f C A lv I n C o l l e g e
Religious
Innovation
and Competition:
Their Impact in
Contemporary Africa
Award Announcement
The Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity, with the help
of a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation, welcomes
research proposals from African scholars in the social sciences and
humanities. We aim to support a maximum of 12 research grants
for projects of 16 months’ duration on Religious Innovation and
Competition and their Impact in Contemporary Africa. Researchers
are welcome to request up to $20,000 for individual awards and up to
$40,000 for projects.
Nagel Institute
for the Study of
World Christianity
A n I n s t I t u t e o f C A lv I n C o l l e g e
Religious Innovation and Competition
Project Director: Francis Nyamnjoh, University of Cape Town
Painting by Charles Nkomo
Background
Key Questions
Religions constitute some of the most dynamic forces in Africa today,
and researchers are scrambling to understand their numerical growth and
changing cultural roles. Much of this work has been pursued within the
field of religious studies, but a number of other social scientists are now
following the trail as well.
1. What are the main traits of religious innovation and competition in
Africa?
Christianity in Africa is amazingly innovative, diverse and competitive.
Christian theologians view such diversity and competition with dismay,
but social scientists might think differently. Diversity and competition are
often vehicles, if not drivers, of creative change, and such innovation creates
more competition. How does religious diversity work in African contexts?
Is religious competition a destructive force, or does it enable innovation
and foster creativity? The growth of Pentecostalism in Africa, to cite one
example, has brought in a high level of competition and innovation. Indeed,
free enterprise now marks the religious scene every bit as much as freewheeling commerce does the new African economies.
3. What impact does religious innovation and competition have on
African society?
These instances of religious innovation and competition open up
fresh opportunities for interdisciplinary research that can lead to new
understandings of African contemporary life. Might these developments
also suggest a more positive approach to the study of contemporary
Africa? Might a new focus on African agency, resilience and creativity
compete with the more common focus on African problems, pathologies
and victimization? That is our hope, and in that spirit we invite proposals to
address these questions and advance these approaches.
2. What new ways of being religious/spiritual are resulting from or
driving religious competition in Africa?
4. What roles do religious innovation and competition play in
building or hindering resilience and entrepreneurship in Africa?
5. What roles do religious innovation and competition play in the
increase of youth agency and the rise of urbanized popular culture
in Africa?
6. What roles do technology and media play in religious innovation
and competition in Africa?