Addressing religious practices in Sub-Saharan Africa. Insights from a longitudinal study in rural Mali Aurélien Dasre, Véronique Hertrich To cite this version: Aurélien Dasre, Véronique Hertrich. Addressing religious practices in Sub-Saharan Africa. Insights from a longitudinal study in rural Mali. African Population Studies, Union for African Population Studies, 2020, 34 (1), pp.4964-4977. 10.11564/34-1-1345. hal-02521822 HAL Id: hal-02521822 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02521822 Submitted on 27 Mar 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike| 4.0 International License African Population Studies Vol.34, No.1, Feb. 2020 Addressing religious practices in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from a longitudinal study in rural Mali Aurélien Dasré1 & Véronique Hertrich2 1University Paris Nanterre/CRESPPA 2Ined Email: [email protected] Abstract Background: In censuses and demographic surveys, religion is recorded as a variable of state, assuming that individuals’ religious affiliation is unique and definitive. However, in sub- Saharan Africa, pluralism are commonplace. In this paper, we discussed the relevance and feasibility of a statistical approach to religious practices, taking into consideration their complexity and variability over an individual’s lifetime. Data Source and methodes: We used longitudinal data collected since 25 years in the south- east of Mali, among a population where traditional and Christian religions coexist. We compared the results of a classic cross-sectional approach with those obtained via a longitudinal approach that takes into consideration individuals’ religious trajectories. Résultats: Plurality and variability in religious practices are confirmed. Most individuals, at some point in their lives, become affiliated with different religions. Mobility and reversibility in religious affiliation are common. Conclusion: The relevance of cross-sectional data on religious affiliation for demographic analysis is therefore questionable. Keywords : religion, religious pluralism, religious affiliation, Africa, Mali Résumé Contexte: Dans les recensements et les enquêtes démographiques, la religion est enregistrée comme une variable d'état, en supposant que l'appartenance religieuse des individus est unique et définitive. Cependant, en Afrique subsaharienne, le pluralisme religieux est fréquent Dans cet article, nous avons examiné la pertinence et la faisabilité d'une approche statistique des pratiques religieuses, en tenant compte de leur complexité et de leur variabilité au cours de la vie d'un individu. Données et méthodes: Nous avons utilisé des données longitudinales collectées depuis 25 ans dans le sud-est du Mali, au sein d'une population où coexistent les religions traditionnelles et chrétiennes. Nous avons comparé les résultats d'une approche transversale classique avec ceux obtenus par une approche longitudinale qui prend en compte les trajectoires religieuses des individus. Résultats: La pluralité et la variabilité des pratiques religieuses sont confirmées. La plupart des individus, à un moment donné de leur vie, s'affilient à différentes religions. La mobilité et la réversibilité de l'affiliation religieuse sont courantes. Conclusion: La pertinence des données transversales sur l'affiliation religieuse pour l'analyse démographique est donc discutable. Mots clés : Afrique, Mali, religion, pluralisme religieux, affiliation religieuse Caldwell 1987, Lesthaeghe 1989, McQuillan Introduction 2004). In censuses and demographic surveys, Religion typically features among the religion is generally recorded as an individual explanatory variables for demographic characteristic and as a state variable. Implicitly, behaviour. Depending on their level of therefore, religious affiliation is considered to be community domination and the values for which unique, definitive and unambiguous. While this they stand, particularly on questions of family, hypothesis may be acceptable with regard to gender and individual autonomy, it is indeed to certain populations, such as in the West, this is be expected that religions orient individuals’ not the case for many others, where religious behaviour in different ways (Caldwell and pluralism and diversity are commonplace. In http://aps.journals.ac.za 4964 African Population Studies Vol.34, No.1, Feb. 2020 Sub-Saharan Africa the spread of universalist demographic studies and presents the data religions (notably Christianity and Islam) among collection method adopted in Mali. The third part, populations that initially looked to traditional devoted to the analysis of religious pluralism and religions has resulted in innovative practices, mobility, examines the feasibility and including religious mobility and hybrid forms of advantages of a life-event approach in religiosity (Chrétien 1993, Mary 2010). For comparison to the classic recording of religion at anthropologists and sociologists, the dynamic the time of the survey. Finally, in the conclusion, nature of these practices is an essential we review the key findings of this empirical dimension of the religious context and research and the more general questions it experience in Africa. It is, however, something raises. that is not taken into account by quantitative surveys, and statistics on the subject are Religious pluralism. The historical and generally lacking. This is regrettable, as relevant anthropological context data concerning religious affiliation is vital for In terms of the major religions only, Africa today any analysis of its influence on individual appears to be a continent where universalist behaviours. Recording only the religion of the religions dominate: Islam in the northern half and respondent at the time of the survey is rather Christianity in the southern half (Map 1). simplistic and generally inadequate – too However, this masks a more complex reality, simplistic because the declarations made by characterized by the plurality of religions present respondents will in all likelihood reflect only part and the persistence of a solid underlying base of of the individual’s religious background, most traditional religions. (Barbier and Dorier-Apprill probably the normative, official version; and 1996, Fancello 2010, Pew Forum on Religion inadequate because the influence of religion on and Public Life 2010). demographic indicators (child mortality, age at marriage, etc.) cannot be rigorously evaluated if Traditional religions and universalist the religion declared by the respondent at the religions in Sub-Saharan Africa time of the survey is different from that at the The bedrock formed by traditional religions time of the event in question. Universalist religions spread in Sub-Saharan In this article, we used a case study to Africa in a context marked by a great wealth and discuss the relevance and feasibility of a diversity of religious practices. Reflecting their statistical approach to religious practices, taking culture, identity and social organization, the into consideration their complexity and variability various populations have, each in their own way, throughout an individual’s lifetime. To what developed a set of representations and beliefs extent can individuals’ religious history be that deal with the order of the world, together recorded by a survey questionnaire? Is the with cults and ritual practices intended to seek question of religious affiliation easy to broach or, favour with occult powers and maintain balance on the contrary, is it affected by reporting in the world. The term “traditional religions” is issues? What distortions occur if only the religion used to designate these organized corpora of declared at the time of the survey is considered? beliefs and practices. Terms such as “animism” In order to examine these questions, we use or “fetishism”, while still in use today (including in longitudinal data collected over a period of 25 statistical reports), are no longer particularly years from the south-east of Mali (Ined’s project relevant: their etymology and past usage have Slam “Suivi longitudinal au Mali”) among a connotations with a naïve and irrational population where traditional, Catholic and conception of the world and are associated with Protestant religions coexist. The collection of evolutionist theories (Awolalu 1976, Bonte and personal religious histories as part of this survey Izard 2002, Panoff and Perrin 1973). means that a unique corpus of data is available Traditional religions vary significantly from to us, making it possible to compare the results one ethnic group to another, and also exhibit of a classic transversal approach, based on the variability over time. However, they do converge religion declared at the time of the survey, with on some points, notably in terms of concepts those obtained via a longitudinal approach that and practices, which distinguish them from takes into consideration individuals’ complete universalist religions (Chitando 2008, Pew religious trajectories.