The impact of African Christianity in southern Europe
The project WASE (West African Pentecostal Christianity in southern Europe. Engendered spaces, spiritual power and aesthetic practices) addressed the religious and aesthetic impact of African Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in European Catholic societies. The work was based on a case study of Nigerian and Ghanaian churches in Italy where the Catholic Church plays a role in social and symbolic domination. WASE looked at aesthetics of African Pentecostalism in Italy and investigated the power structures defining the relationship between African Pentecostalism and Roman Catholicism. The project looked at the religious practices through which African Pentecostal migrants challenge the Catholic order and the ethno-religious politics of the Italian nation state. The project involved review of the literature, academic exchanges, and experimentions with new theories and methodologies for the study of religion, and targeted dissemination efforts. WASE researchers received training in visual ethnography, sound ethnography, media production and digital humanities as well as on African religions, cultures and societies. The project published a monograph entitled 'African Pentecostals in Catholic Europe. The Politics of Presence in the Twenty First Century' (Harvard University Press, 2016) and a film documentary titled 'Enlarging the Kingdom. African Pentecostals in Italy' (28 min, available on the project website). Other deliverables include a multimedia catalogue and several articles and book chapters. The project's deliverables, including the monograph, visual materials and the multimedia catalogue have proven valuable as teaching and research tools for scholars and researchers across a range of study areas. The outcomes of WASE contribute to ongoing debates in anthropology of Christianity and sociology of religion, comparative theology, and migration studies. They are also of interest to religious and community leaders and civil society organisations involved in migration and integration policy, interreligious dialogue and urban peace. Particular insights from this initiative can be used to help respond to the societal challenge of accommodating new religious expressions in Europe. As such, they contribute to the EU 2020 strategy regarding inclusive growth and social cohesion.
Keywords
Christianity, southern Europe, West African, Catholicism, WASE, Pentecostal, ethnography