Muslim political dissent in coastal East Africa : complexities, ambiguities, entanglements

Title data

Kirby, Benjamin ; Meinema, Erik ; Olsson, Hans:
Muslim political dissent in coastal East Africa : complexities, ambiguities, entanglements.
In: Journal of Eastern African Studies. Vol. 17 (2023) Issue 4 . - pp. 640-661.
ISSN 1753-1063
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17531055.2023.2300021

Official URL:

Abstract in another language

This article stages a comparative analysis of Muslim politics in coastal Kenya and Tanzania between 2010 and 2023. We explore parallels, discontinuities, and entanglements between different expressions of – and responses to – Muslim political dissent. Our insights are drawn from ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Dar es Salaam, Malindi, and Zanzibar City. We begin by investigating a sharp rise of militant jihadi activity across the region, examining responses by Kenyan, Tanzanian, and U.S. governments, as well as the perceptions of ordinary Muslim citizens. We then explore currents of Muslim civic activism, highlighting the different claims, sentiments, and memories that these movements invoke. Merging these discussions, we analyse episodes of civil unrest and violence that are associated with Muslim dissenters, but which are shrouded with uncertainty. We examine the shifting interpretive frames that Muslim residents apply to these events. We demonstrate how these uncertainties and framing practices, alongside state security strategies, impact the capacity for Muslims at large to engage in political dissent. Using our analysis, we argue that forms of Muslim political expression in coastal East Africa, though comparable and sometimes entangled, must be interpreted with close attention to the distinct experiences, demographic configurations, and political landscapes that characterise different (sub-)national contexts.

Further data

Item Type:	Article in a journal
Refereed:	Yes
Keywords:	Kenya; Tanzania; Zanzibar; Islam; Muslim activism; religious politics; jihadi militancy
Institutions of the University:	Faculties Faculties > Faculty of Cultural Studies Faculties > Faculty of Cultural Studies > Junior Professor Study of Religion with a Focus on Global Interlacing > Junior Professor Study of Religion with a Focus on Global Interlacing - Juniorprof. Dr. Benjamin Kirby Faculties > Faculty of Cultural Studies > Junior Professor Study of Religion with a Focus on Global Interlacing
Result of work at the UBT:	Yes
DDC Subjects:	200 Religion 200 Religion > 200 Religion 200 Religion > 290 Other religions
Date Deposited:	24 Jan 2024 06:09
Last Modified:	12 Sep 2024 12:22
URI:	https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/88276