solely in terms of Western democratic models of party poli-
tics or polity.
The phenomenon of religion in South Asia has become
subject matter for scholars not only in political science but
also in economics, geography, sociology, and cultural studies.
Many have a Marxist orientation seldom found among aca-
demics in the West. Thus the study of religion in South Asia
is characterized by certain broad themes reflected by contem-
porary scholars, such as Madhu Kishvar and Asgar Ali Engi-
neer, and in some of the works presented at the 2003 Delhi
Conference cosponsored by IAHR. Themes include
women’s and minority rights, nationalism and identity, dias-
pora and ethnicity, peace and conflict studies, rethinking of
secularization and globalization with respect to Indic cultural
heritage, and ethnic politics and religious empowerment.
History and the future. Historical context distinguish-
es South Asian concepts of the study of religion from either
the North American or European approaches. As a secular
state, India is impartial to expressions of religion in its secular
institutions of learning. It has a history of resisting the study
of religion as a subject matter but allows for the study of the
phenomenon under existing departments, such as sociology
and anthropology. In this unique environment South Asian
scholars from different disciplinary fields will undoubtedly
continue to bring their unique perspectives and worldviews
to the study of religion, approaching it from a historical, phe-
nomenological, and structural perspective. Those with a
philosophical bent may move the study from descriptive ac-
counts to explanation and theory. The inseparable connec-
tion between religion and philosophy explored by scholars
such as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, T. R. V. Murti, T. M. P.
Mahadevan, Daya Krishna, and Muhammad Iqbal continues
as a tradition of scholarly investigation. Methodological and
theoretical studies have their antecedents in studies by schol-
ars such as K. N. Jayatilleke, Ananda Coomaraswamy, M. N.
Srinivas, Aziz Ahmad, Fazlur Rahman, and T. M. Madhan.
Though the prospect of a burgeoning rise of depart-
ments of religion in South Asia, and, for that matter, of stu-
dent enrollment, seem dim, the indications are promising for
an increased interest in the academic study of religion: inter-
action and dialogue occurring between Western and South
Asian academics at international conferences, visiting scholar
arrangements, and joint academic projects and publications.
In such encounters each side clearly becomes exposed to the
influence of the other, thereby keeping alive in the academic
study of religion the idea of comparative religion as method
and discipline, and providing impetus for the rethinking and
reconceptualizing of the engagement between the philoso-
phy of religion and the history of religions.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Association of Commonwealth Universities. Commonwealth Uni-
versities Yearbook. London, 2002–2003. Provides informa-
tion for each British Commonwealth country on its higher
education institutions, structure of degree programs and di-
plomas, developments and initiatives, and departmental spe-
cializations.
Conference on Religions and Cultures in the Indic Civilization.
Available at http://www.indicreligions.com. Lists speakers and the
titles of their addresses, panels, abstracts, and critical com-
ments on the academic quality of the conference held in New
Delhi, December 18–21, 2003.
Pye, Michael, ed. Marburg Revisited: Institutions and Strategies in
the Study of Religion. Marburg, Germany, 1989. Reports on
the study of religion, primarily in European and African
regions.
Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli. East and West in Religion. London,
1948; reprint, 1958. Offers a perspective as early as the
1930s on the conceptualizing of religion by distinguished In-
dian scholars in the field.
Seminar on the Study of Religion in Indian Universities. Study of
Religion in Indian Universities: A Report on the Consultation
Held in Bangalore in September 1967. Bangalore, India,- Includes papers presented by John B. Carman, V. K.
Gokak, J. L. Mehta, T. M. P. Mahadevan, Hasan Askari, and
Wilfrid Cantwell Smith; the recommendations of the semi-
nar; a list of participants; and a copy of the program.
Werblowsky, R. J. Zwi. “Marburg, and After” Numen 7–8 (1960–
1961): 215–220. A report on the Marburg Congress and rea-
sons for resisting the suggestion to hold the Congress in
India.
ABRAHIM H. KHAN (2005)
STUDY OF RELIGION: THE ACADEMIC STUDY
OF RELIGION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
The academic study of religion has emerged as a vibrant dis-
cipline in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Although the
discipline was heavily influenced by developments in western
Europe and North America, it had gained a distinctive iden-
tity by the 1980s. The region made significant contributions
to the overall character of religious studies, particularly in the
area of method and theory in the study of indigenous reli-
gions. Scholars in sub-Saharan Africa interacted with the
dominant questions that have shaped the field. Operating in
a context characterized by a plurality of religions, they of-
fered valuable reflections on the character of religion. Some
scholars from outside the African context also settled in the
region and used the richness of the material on religion to
explicate the significance of the complex phenomenon. No-
table local and regional traditions of the study of religion
were established in sub-Saharan Africa by the late 1990s. Al-
though significant differences could be identified in the exe-
cution of the task in this vast region, the emphasis on the
importance of religion to Africans was a salient point uniting
scholarly reflections. Most scholars in the academic study of
religion devoted their resources to an analysis of the three
dominant religious traditions. Studies on African traditions,
Christianity, and Islam constituted the bulk of the material
on religious studies in sub-Saharan Africa. Abstract method-
ological reflections were limited, perhaps reflecting the abun-
dance of the data on religion.8792 STUDY OF RELIGION: THE ACADEMIC STUDY OF RELIGION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA