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Understanding the Relationship Between Religion and Conflict Across Friends or foes? Understanding the relationship between religion and conflict across different levels of politics and society A case study of local NGO staff perceptions on religion and conflict in Cameroon Imme Widdershoven June 2018 Picture on front page: Cover of an educational comic on religious freedom in Cameroon. ALDED, 2015 Imme Widdershoven S3000613 Master thesis MA Religion, Conflict and Globalisation Supervisors: dr. Erin Wilson and dr. Joram Tarusarira University of Groningen June 2018 2 ABSTRACT This thesis relates the dominant global discourse on the link between religion and conflict to the perceptions of local NGO staff on the role of religion in Cameroon's society. By doing so, the thesis answers the research question of how the relationship between religion and conflict is understood across different levels of politics and society in the early 21st century. The dominant discourse is shaped largely by non-religious actors who uphold a post-secular world view. Influenced by the events of the past two decades, policy attention is in- creasingly spent on policing religious communities that are expected to be at risk of adopting radical views. The underlying assumption is that radicalisation may lead to (violent) conflict. In the understanding of the relationship between religion and conflict by local NGO staff in Cameroon, the focus lies on how religion mostly promotes peace and tolerance. Cameroon's diverse religious landscape and history of peaceful coex- istence offer structures that contain possible tensions between religious groups. Conflicts relating to issues of religion are explained against a specific contextual backdrop of political instability and socioeconomic hardship. The thesis argues that both ways of understanding the relationship between religion and conflict are shaped by the specific context in which the perception is constructed. It shows the risks of adopting global ideas in a local context, as policy can be ineffective or even contribute to a problem if context-specific dy- namics are not taken into account. KEY WORDS Religion, conflict, radicalisation, CVE, Cameroon, international relations, conflict prevention 3 CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Key words .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................... 6 List of abbreviations .......................................................................................................................................... 7 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Problem statement .................................................................................................................................. 8 1.2 A changing religious landscape in Yaoundé, Cameroon ........................................................................ 10 1.2.1 Cameroon: a brief sketch ............................................................................................................... 10 1.2.2 Cameroon’s religious landscape ..................................................................................................... 11 1.2.3 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 12 1.3 Relevance............................................................................................................................................... 12 2. dominant global assumptions on religion and conflict ............................................................................... 13 2.1 Understanding religion .......................................................................................................................... 13 2.1.1 The renewed attention to religion ................................................................................................. 13 2.1.3 The 'two faces of faith' framework................................................................................................. 14 2.1.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 15 2.2 Religion and conflict .............................................................................................................................. 15 2.2.1 Defining conflict .............................................................................................................................. 15 2.2.2 Argumentation for the link between religion and conflict ............................................................. 15 2.2.3 Youth and conflict ........................................................................................................................... 17 2.2.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 18 2.3 Religion and conflict in global policy ..................................................................................................... 18 2.4.1 Radicalisation theory ...................................................................................................................... 18 2.4.2 Countering Violent Extremism ....................................................................................................... 19 2.4.3 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 20 2.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 20 3. Methods ...................................................................................................................................................... 22 3.1 Developing research questions ............................................................................................................. 22 3.2 Data collection ....................................................................................................................................... 22 3.3 Progression of fieldwork ........................................................................................................................ 24 3.4 My role and position as a researcher .................................................................................................... 24 3.5 Conclusions ................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 4 Mapping the field ......................................................................................................................................... 26 4.1 Characteristics of local NGOs ................................................................................................................ 26 4.2 Cooperation between NGOs with different religious backgrounds ...................................................... 27 4.3 Projects addressing religion and conflict ............................................................................................... 29 5. NGO staff perceptions of religion and conflict ............................................................................................ 31 4 5.1 The place of “religion” in Cameroon ..................................................................................................... 31 5.1.1 Religion in Cameroon .............................................................................................................. 31 5.1.2 Changing religious landscape ......................................................................................................... 31 5.1.3 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 34 5.2 Religion and conflict .............................................................................................................................. 34 5.2.1 Religious fragmentation ................................................................................................................. 35 5.2.2 Muslim-Christian relationships ....................................................................................................... 36 5.2.3 Revival churches ............................................................................................................................. 39 5.2.4 Peaceful coexistence ...................................................................................................................... 41 5.2.5 Youth and conflict ........................................................................................................................... 43 5.2.6 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 44 5.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 44 6. Analysis .......................................................................................................................................................
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