The reintegration of thousands and thousands of child ex-soldiers into the society of Northern Uganda - as well as other African contexts - represents tremendous social, moral and practical challenges, not least with regard to the reintegration of female child ex-soldiers, whose background and experience prove particularly difficult for society to handle. The projects within the research group are responding to these challenges by developing knowledge of how religious communities can develop new methods for reintegration of former child soldiers by drawing upon religious traditions as a strategic means of transition out of violent conflicts.

The research group will provide new knowledge about (a) the background of the phenomenon of child soldiers (with an emphasis on female soldiers), with particular reference to how religion is used for legitimizing purposes, (b) the potential of religious communities to provide religious rituals and narratives as means for the reintegration of the former soldiers, and (c) the reintegration of these young persons as an ethical challenge to religious communities.

The research group is mainly organised around three PhD projects, conducted by researchers from partner institutions of the School of Mission and Theology in Eastern Africa, i.e. Makerere University (Uganda) and Makumira University College of Tumaini University (Tanzania). These projects are funded by NUFU (The Norwegian Programme for Development, Research and Education).

Their supervisors in Norway, as well as researchers from the Centre for Intercultural Communication (SIK) who work with the Community of Free Pentecostal Churches in Africa (CELPA) on a similar project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foregin Affairs, make up the rest of the research staff of the project.

Projects and participants

Activities

Publications