Original Research - Special Collection: Religious Innovation and Competition Amidst Urban Social Change

Trans-disciplinary research on religious formations in urban Africa: Towards liberative methodological approaches

Stephan F. de Beer, R. Drew Smith, Jacob Manyaka
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 73, No 3 | a4693 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v73i3.4693 | © 2017 Stephan F. de Beer, R. Drew Smith, Jacob Manyaka | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 08 June 2017 | Published: 27 November 2017

About the author(s)

Stephan F. de Beer, Centre for Contextual Ministry, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa and Department of Practical Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
R. Drew Smith, Centre for Contextual Ministry, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Practical Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, United States
Jacob Manyaka, Centre for Contextual Ministry, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Practical Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa and Willow Manor Christian Centre, Nellmapius, Phenyo Christian College, South Africa

Abstract

In this article, we are exploring a methodological approach to research on faith and religious expressions in urban Africa. We are committed to trans-disciplinary work that pursues research methods mutually liberating for researchers, co-researchers and community participants and that results in long-term benefits and strengthened agency on the part of the host communities. Our reflections in this article are based on a collaborative research project1 in two regions of Pretoria, Tshwane2 – Pretoria Central and Mamelodi East – in which we explore how religious innovation and competition in and amongst churches contribute to the healing or perpetuation of urban fractures.

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