ENTANGLEDHOA · Entangled Faiths and Contested Powers: Christian–Muslim Relations, Slavery and Political Pluralism in the Horn of Africa

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Project objective

ENTANGLEDHOA aims to investigate how Christian–Muslim relations, slavery, and political pluralism shaped the formation and evolution of statehood and social orders in the Horn of Africa from the 18th to the early 20th century. The project seeks to provide a historically grounded and comparative understanding of entangled religious identities and contested sovereignties in a region marked by imperial transitions, colonial reconfigurations, and cross-cultural interaction.While recent scholarship has explored aspects of Islam and Christianity in African contexts, ENTANGLEDHOA is the first project to connect religious coexistence and contestation to broader patterns of political authority and the legacy of slavery in the Horn of Africa. Combining historical anthropology, archival research, and comparative political analysis, the project draws on underexplored sources in local, European, and religious archives. Methodologically, it advances a transregional and interdisciplinary approach grounded in entangled history and critical political theory.The urgency of this research lies in the need to reassess the historical roots of religious pluralism and state fragmentation in the Horn of Africa, especially as current conflicts and governance models echo unresolved legacies of domination and resistance. ENTANGLEDHOA’s findings will illuminate how historical entanglements of faith and power shaped modes of inclusion, exclusion, and political negotiation.It also challenges binary readings of Muslim–Christian encounters by foregrounding negotiation, conversion, and shared legal frameworks that reveal deeper patterns of coexistence.Scientifically, the project will deepen our understanding of African political thought and religious coexistence. Professionally, it will enhance the researcher’s expertise in global history, religious studies, and African political systems, while fostering long-term academic collaboration between European and non-European institutions.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA · VeneziaCoordinatorItaly
• PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE · CambridgeUnited States

Links

• View on CORDIS
• DOI: 10.3030/101269473