Negotiating Gendered Leadership Positions within African Initiated Christian Churches in Amsterdam

Our research contributes to the discussion of feminist theorists on how the dominance of women in religious communities is not reflected in leadership positions of women. With the case of African Initiated Christian Churches (AICCs) in Amsterdam, this study investigates the intersection of gender,...

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Main Authors: Justice R.K.O. Kyei, Elizabeth N.M.K. Yalley, Emmanuel K.E. Antwi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UJ Press 2021-12-01
Series:African Journal of Gender and Religion (AJGR)
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ajgr/article/view/1045
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author Justice R.K.O. Kyei
Elizabeth N.M.K. Yalley
Emmanuel K.E. Antwi
author_facet Justice R.K.O. Kyei
Elizabeth N.M.K. Yalley
Emmanuel K.E. Antwi
author_sort Justice R.K.O. Kyei
collection DOAJ
description Our research contributes to the discussion of feminist theorists on how the dominance of women in religious communities is not reflected in leadership positions of women. With the case of African Initiated Christian Churches (AICCs) in Amsterdam, this study investigates the intersection of gender, citizenship, and religion. The concept of religious citizenship provides the analytical tool to examine women-men relationships within immigrant religious communities. The research focuses on gendered leadership within the AICCs in Amsterdam, to enquire into how women exercise leadership in spite of the challenges faced in the AICCs. Data are drawn from in-depth interviews, participant observation, and informal interviews in Amsterdam. This study concludes that women’s access to hierarchical positions is nuanced, as main-line Protestant churches are more flexible compared to Pentecostal/Charis-matic churches. We argue that some women are situated in de facto second-class religious citizenship positions in religious communities which undermine women’s search for equal opportunities as religious citizens. Some women, however, exercise agency to circumvent the structural constraints.
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institution Kabale University
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publisher UJ Press
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series African Journal of Gender and Religion (AJGR)
spelling doaj-art-b064164680ed46de8c68549e6ffbf7b22025-01-08T09:00:36ZengUJ PressAfrican Journal of Gender and Religion (AJGR)2707-29912021-12-0127210.14426/ajgr.v27i2.1045Negotiating Gendered Leadership Positions within African Initiated Christian Churches in AmsterdamJustice R.K.O. Kyei0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3930-2239Elizabeth N.M.K. Yalley1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0542-6492Emmanuel K.E. Antwi2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6354-3606University of Science and Technology, KuamsiUniversity of Science and Technology, KuamsiUniversity of Science and Technology, Kuamsi Our research contributes to the discussion of feminist theorists on how the dominance of women in religious communities is not reflected in leadership positions of women. With the case of African Initiated Christian Churches (AICCs) in Amsterdam, this study investigates the intersection of gender, citizenship, and religion. The concept of religious citizenship provides the analytical tool to examine women-men relationships within immigrant religious communities. The research focuses on gendered leadership within the AICCs in Amsterdam, to enquire into how women exercise leadership in spite of the challenges faced in the AICCs. Data are drawn from in-depth interviews, participant observation, and informal interviews in Amsterdam. This study concludes that women’s access to hierarchical positions is nuanced, as main-line Protestant churches are more flexible compared to Pentecostal/Charis-matic churches. We argue that some women are situated in de facto second-class religious citizenship positions in religious communities which undermine women’s search for equal opportunities as religious citizens. Some women, however, exercise agency to circumvent the structural constraints. https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ajgr/article/view/1045genderreligious citizenshipAfrican Initiated Christian Churchesagencywomen leadershipGhanaian immigrants
spellingShingle Justice R.K.O. Kyei
Elizabeth N.M.K. Yalley
Emmanuel K.E. Antwi
Negotiating Gendered Leadership Positions within African Initiated Christian Churches in Amsterdam
African Journal of Gender and Religion (AJGR)
gender
religious citizenship
African Initiated Christian Churches
agency
women leadership
Ghanaian immigrants
title Negotiating Gendered Leadership Positions within African Initiated Christian Churches in Amsterdam
title_full Negotiating Gendered Leadership Positions within African Initiated Christian Churches in Amsterdam
title_fullStr Negotiating Gendered Leadership Positions within African Initiated Christian Churches in Amsterdam
title_full_unstemmed Negotiating Gendered Leadership Positions within African Initiated Christian Churches in Amsterdam
title_short Negotiating Gendered Leadership Positions within African Initiated Christian Churches in Amsterdam
title_sort negotiating gendered leadership positions within african initiated christian churches in amsterdam
topic gender
religious citizenship
African Initiated Christian Churches
agency
women leadership
Ghanaian immigrants
url https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ajgr/article/view/1045
work_keys_str_mv AT justicerkokyei negotiatinggenderedleadershippositionswithinafricaninitiatedchristianchurchesinamsterdam
AT elizabethnmkyalley negotiatinggenderedleadershippositionswithinafricaninitiatedchristianchurchesinamsterdam
AT emmanuelkeantwi negotiatinggenderedleadershippositionswithinafricaninitiatedchristianchurchesinamsterdam