Muslim Minorities in Southern Cities of Benin and Togo

Project funded by a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018-2020)

Central mosque of Fidjrossè (Cotonou, Benin)

This research project examined the understudied Muslim minority communities of southern Benin and Togo since the late colonial era (1950s). While recent reports on the deteriorating security situation in Burkina Faso have raised fears of jihadism spreading to neighbouring states bordering the Gulf of Guinea, including Benin and Togo, Islam in this region remains largely unknown. The project aimed to move beyond a reductive focus on “radicalisation” by interrogating how Muslims’ political position as a minority in Christian-majority settings affects their experiences, self-understandings, and political stakes. It also explored the plurality of ways in which Muslim youth and women make their religious identity meaningful in their everyday lives, beyond established analytical categories (Sufi, reformist, Salafi).

Relevant publications

Scroll to Top