ABSTRACT
THE STUDY OF RELIGIONS, ALSO REFERRED TO AS religious studies in thischapter, has emerged as an important academic discipline in sub-Saharan Africa. This is a region where religion continues to be vibrant. Numerous religions of the world are found in sub-Saharan Africa, leading Jan G. Platvoet (1996: 7) to refer to “a rainbow of religions.” A number of scholars have adopted an academic and non-confessional approach to religious studies in the region. They have made distinctive contributions to the discipline, especially to the study of African Traditional Religions (ATRs, also referred to in this chapter as indigenous religions), to method and theory in the study of religion, and to describing the various religions found in the region (Chitando 2005b). While the development of religious studies in sub-Saharan Africa has been closely related to trends in Europe and North America, it has its own distinctive characteristics.
