The question that this project addresses is how religious preferences differ from other forms of political preferences, notably ethno-linguistic or tribal ones, in Africa. To use a metaphor, when one takes off her tribal hat and puts on a religious hat, do her political preferences change? In addressing this question, the research also explores how the sociopolitical environment matters. Do political preferences differ in Muslim- and Christian-dominated regions? In stable versus tense national political environments? Among members of majority and minority religious or tribal groups?
The importance of the research comes in its treatment of religion as a unique catalyst for political preferences. In many contemporary political studies in Africa, all forms of ascriptive identity groups -language, ethno-linguistic, racial, and religious- are treated under the umbrella of "ethnic politics." As a result, religious politics is an under-theorized area within the study of Africa. Advancing our theoretical understanding of religious political preferences, however, is becoming increasingly important in the region. Muslim-Christian tensions have spread to some sub-Saharan African countries, and African political leaders sometimes make explicit religious appeals followed by policy changes that evoke religious tenets. The best way for observers and decision makers to forecast these changes is to understand how political preferences in the name of religion differ from those in the name of tribe or other identities.
To address the question, the research will focuses on two countries, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. With support from the Ghana Center for Democratic Development and the Multitudes Center at the University of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, the researcher will conduct a field experiment that artificially evokes either the religious or the ethno-linguistic identity among a sample of individuals in both Muslim and Christian areas. Randomly selected individuals will be exposed to one of two professional yet concocted radio reports commenting on relations between groups in the country. The reports are perfectly identical, only with changes in the names of groups. One report refers to religious groups and the other to ethno-linguistic groups. Subjects will then be questioned to ascertain their preferences regarding preferred types of policies, inter-group relations, and willingness to use violence. The field experiment will be complemented by a qualitative analysis of specific religious and tribal groups.
The broader social value of the project comes in its focus on underrepresented groups and in its effort to build stronger cross-national and cross-religious networks. The project will provide opportunities for participation by graduate students in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire and will include the perspective of the Al-Sunnah wal Jama-ah sub-group, who have publicly complained of underrepresentation. Furthermore, the project will enhance networks and relationships, between American and African researchers and between collaborators of different religious faiths. In using these networks to overcome mischaracterizations of religious politics, the project will make tangible differences in the study environment.
