- Transnational migration, African Diaspora, Witchcraft, Religion and Magic, Pentecostalism, Congo and Congolese Diaspora (Anthropology), cities in transition -- currently working on Brussels and its different communities like the Portugese, Turkish people, Congolese living and working in Brussels, and 21 moreRevival Churches, Postcolonialisms, Black/African Diaspora, Paul Gilroy, Colonial and Postcolonial History of Congo, Migrations, Matonge, Migrations Conoglaises, Pentecotisme, Eglises de réveil, la délinquance juvéniel_Matonge, Anthropology, Sociology, Social Sciences, Culture, Religion, Migration, Racial and ethnic discrimination, African Diaspora Studies, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Postcolonial Studiesedit
- Grounded on a social anthropology of inspiration and phenomenological understanding, this doctoral dissertation quest... moreGrounded on a social anthropology of inspiration and phenomenological
understanding, this doctoral dissertation questions the emergence, mobility and
reconstruction process of the congolese Revival, which has grown exponentially
since the 1970s within and outside of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The perspective adopted is historical (from the late fifteenth to nowadays) and
multisite (Brussels, Kinshasa, Paris, Toulouse). It is justified by the forms of
continuity of this theology of Salvation with the prophecies of precolonial and
colonial periods, while inserting it in a vast movement of religious globalization,
pentecostalism. Basing on this framework, various "deliverance" devices are
examined, missionary migrations in Europe and modes of political participation
(in DRC), significantly marked by processes of demonization. The different
angles of the thesis aim to contribute to the understanding of this religiosity’s
intrinsic conflicts (Bible/Witchcraft) considering the different trends and
spatiotemporal reconfigurations of the Revival taken as a potential memory
construct that is impossible to reduce to imaginary or identity issues. The
development prospects of the way that religious discourse “makes” territory then
leads to the historical depth of the new missionaries’ and migratories’ dynamics.edit
Long absent from the scholarly literature, Congolese migration to Belgium now occupies a greater place in academic research. Nevertheless the various disciplinary approaches undertaken and the many topics of interest explored have not... more
Long absent from the scholarly literature, Congolese migration to Belgium now occupies a greater place in academic research. Nevertheless the various disciplinary approaches undertaken and the many topics of interest explored have not exhausted the complexity of this diaspora, too often the object of prejudice in popular opinion and public policies. The position of “the Congolese issue” in the academic world is thus rarely problematized due to confusion over how to categorize the Congo and the Congolese – either as ‘Africa,’ ‘Central Africa,’ ‘Sub-Sahara,’ etc. This reflects a ‘geography of the Other’ that significantly confounds current social processes at work in Belgium and the particularity of this (post)migratory situation. Grounded in empirical research, this issue in moving beyond merely highlighting a relatively marginalized group in Belgian Migration Studies, is focusing on the postcolonial stakes of the Congolese presence in Belgium. The authors take different viewpoints t...
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Deze studie onderzoekt het voorkomen van discriminatie door vastgoedmakelaars op de private huurmarkt in het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest door middel van praktijktesten en mystery shopping. Discriminatie verwijst in deze studie naar de... more
Deze studie onderzoekt het voorkomen van discriminatie door vastgoedmakelaars op de private huurmarkt in het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest door middel van praktijktesten en mystery shopping. Discriminatie verwijst in deze studie naar de nadelige en niet te rechtvaardigen behandeling van kandidaat-huurders omwille hun etnische afkomst, leeftijd, mentale of fysieke handicap, inkomensbron, gezinssamenstelling en gender. Deze discriminatiestudie is vrij uniek in Europa omwille van haar grootschaligheid op het vlak van het aantal uitgevoerde praktijktesten en mystery calls en het aantal onderzochte discriminatiegronden.
Grounded on a social anthropology of inspiration and phenomenological understanding, this doctoral dissertation questions the emergence, mobility and reconstruction process of the congolese Revival, which has grown exponentially since the... more
Grounded on a social anthropology of inspiration and phenomenological understanding, this doctoral dissertation questions the emergence, mobility and reconstruction process of the congolese Revival, which has grown exponentially since the 1970s within and outside of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The perspective adopted is historical (from the late fifteenth to nowadays) and multisite (Brussels, Kinshasa, Paris, Toulouse). It is justified by the forms of continuity of this theology of Salvation with the prophecies of precolonial and colonial periods, while inserting it in a vast movement of religious globalization, pentecostalism. Basing on this framework, various "deliverance" devices are examined, missionary migrations in Europe and modes of political participation (in DRC), significantly marked by processes of demonization. The different angles of the thesis aim to contribute to the understanding of this religiosity’s intrinsic conflicts (Bible/Witchcraft) cons...
Les formes d’investissement de l’espace social et territorial de la Belgique par les Congolais, au lendemain de la colonisation, ne correspondent en rien aux categorisations actuelles de l’immigration. C’est seulement a la fin des annees... more
Les formes d’investissement de l’espace social et territorial de la Belgique par les Congolais, au lendemain de la colonisation, ne correspondent en rien aux categorisations actuelles de l’immigration. C’est seulement a la fin des annees ’80, que l’on pourra parler d’une immigration economique. Or, des les annees ’60, les Congolais commencent a venir en Belgique dans un cadre estudiantin, diplomatique, “touristique” ou commercant. De facon progressive, un territoire dans la Ville de Bruxelles va etre investi par les Congolais, residents ou en transit, autour de quelques points de concentration.
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Professeur emerite a l’Universite catholique de Kinshasa, Leon de saint Moulin est ce que l’on peut appeler un monument au Congo. Grâce a un mandat du Fonds national de la recherche scientifique, ce jesuite belge se rend en 1959 au Congo... more
Professeur emerite a l’Universite catholique de Kinshasa, Leon de saint Moulin est ce que l’on peut appeler un monument au Congo. Grâce a un mandat du Fonds national de la recherche scientifique, ce jesuite belge se rend en 1959 au Congo pour une etude sur Kinshasa. Par la suite, en 1967, il prend part a une etude sociodemographique de la ville avant de participer a la realisation, en 1969, de la mise a jour du plan de la ville, conduite par l’institut geographique du Congo. C’est une experie...
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Dans le cadre de mes recherches sur les eglises de reveil congolaises (a Kinshasa et en diaspora), je me suis interessee aux logiques de continuite, et de discontinuite, de cette religiosite evangelico-pentecotiste avec les prophetismes... more
Dans le cadre de mes recherches sur les eglises de reveil congolaises (a Kinshasa et en diaspora), je me suis interessee aux logiques de continuite, et de discontinuite, de cette religiosite evangelico-pentecotiste avec les prophetismes anticoloniaux (Demart, 2016), et a ce qui permettait de l’apprehender d’un point de vue territorial, imaginaire et politique. L’approche confessionnelle ou denominationnelle ne suffisait pas car on a affaire a un champ religieux pluriel et fragmente dont l’ec...
Research Interests: Cultural Studies and Art
ABSTRACTIn recent decades, Kinshasa and Brazzaville have given rise to movements of prophecy, messianic fervour and revival (Pentecostalist in nature) in the field of religion. The patterns of liberation and deliverance that can be... more
ABSTRACTIn recent decades, Kinshasa and Brazzaville have given rise to movements of prophecy, messianic fervour and revival (Pentecostalist in nature) in the field of religion. The patterns of liberation and deliverance that can be discerned here reflect forms of identity politics in which Africanity, in the ethnic and national sense, is not only a major issue, but a component that is increasingly associated with armed conflict. These processes express a radical paradigm shift that we place within the context of the relationship between Africanity and religious pluralism that has become evident in these two religious areas in recent years. The term ‘Mboka Mundele’ (the village or country of the Whites) points to an experience of ‘colonial modernity’, and allows us to describe in objective terms the current urban context in which these ‘businessmen of God’ emerge. Fernando Kutino, Ntoumi, Yaucat Guendi and Ne Muanda Nsemi are four major politico-religious figures who embody an ideolo...
Research Interests: Anthropology and Africa
The Kimbanguist Church (EJCSK), the Revival Churches, and the 'Spiritual Combat Ministry' led by the Olangi's, are Congolese religious movements that assert an African Christianity freed from colonial and neo-colonial directives. Although... more
The Kimbanguist Church (EJCSK), the Revival Churches, and the 'Spiritual Combat Ministry' led by the Olangi's, are Congolese religious movements that assert an African Christianity freed from colonial and neo-colonial directives. Although historically distinct, these movements nevertheless share a common ground of spiritual combat. Drawing on research within these multi-sited religious worlds, the authors examine the spatial and temporal redistribution of bewitched territories. After describing the metamorphoses of witchcraft in the Congolese society from the 1990s onwards, the authors examine the discourses and practices relating to witchcraft in each of the movements. They also address the religious transformations brought about by migration to Europe. To what extent does Postcolonialism inform these discourses and practices in a context of migration? If the migratory venture is a project of self-realisation and a source of liberation, as formulated by the Olangists, it is equally associated with the redemption of a doomed Europe, which the Kimbanguists regard as a continent in the grip of witchcraft. This common ground, however, also involves differences. In the eyes of the Olangists, migration is linked to a reformulation of the family discourse. Within the Revival Churches, spatial mobility relates to a profound transformation of deliverance practices and discourses. Meanwhile, for the Kimbanguist Diaspora, migration to Europe corresponds to an acute confrontation with a territory that, since colonial times, is considered eminently bewitched.
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Long absent from the scholarly literature, Congolese migration to Belgium now occupies a greater place in academic research. Nevertheless the various disciplinary approaches undertaken and the many topics of interest explored have not... more
Long absent from the scholarly literature, Congolese migration to Belgium now occupies a greater place in academic research. Nevertheless the various disciplinary approaches undertaken and the many topics of interest explored have not exhausted the complexity of this diaspora, too often the object of prejudice in popular opinion and public policies. The position of "the Congo-lese issue" in the academic world is thus rarely problematized due to confusion over how to categorize the Congo and the Congolese-either as 'Africa,' 'Central Africa,' 'Sub-Sahara,' etc. This reflects a 'geography of the Other' that significantly confounds current social processes at work in Belgium and the particularity of this (post)migratory situation. Grounded in empirical research, this issue in moving beyond merely highlighting a relatively marginalized group in Belgian Migration Studies, is focusing on the postcolonial stakes of the Congolese presence in Belgium. The authors take different viewpoints to explore the place of the Congolese in the former metropole and the forms of marginalization they face. The everyday life, the state regulations and the dynamics of identity are then various lens to bring to light the racial logics at work in the Belgian multiculturalism. Résumé Longtemps absentes du champ académique, les migrations congolaises sont aujourd'hui en Belgique, de plus en plus l'objet de questionnements scientifiques. La diversification des entrées disciplinaires et des objets d'étude est cependant loin d'épuiser la complexité et la richesse de cette diaspora, trop souvent objet de préconceptions. La position de centralité de « la question congolaise » est-elle ainsi rarement objectivée, à la faveur d'une confusion des échelles de dési-gnations « Afrique », « Afrique centrale », « subsahariens », etc. Il en résulte une géographie de l'ailleurs qui brouille de façon significative la compréhension des processus à l'oeuvre en Belgique et la singularité de cette situation post-migratoire. Basé sur de solides contributions empiriques, ce numéro interroge les enjeux postcoloniaux de la présence congolais en Belgique. A partir de différents angles, les auteurs examinent la place des Congolais dans l'ancienne métropole et les
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This joint contribution interrogates the postcolonial relations that are at play in the Congolese political sphere in Belgium, the former colonial metropolis. Two lines of argument are developed. First, the politicisation of the... more
This joint contribution interrogates the postcolonial relations that are at play in the Congolese political sphere in Belgium, the former colonial metropolis. Two lines of argument are developed. First, the politicisation of the postcolonial relations, which pre-dates the Congolese immigration to Belgium, is viewed from a historical perspective. Second, the highly competitive political pluralism , as observed since the early 2000s, is examined. After having restored historically the constitution and the reconstruction of this political sphere, wherein new technologies deepen the transnational movements, the authors will examine the tensions that arise from the unifying dynamics of the politically engaged Diaspora, on the one hand, and its intrinsic logics of division and fragmentation, on the other. The postcolonial issues that are at stake are to be seen on different levels: transnational, local, within the Diaspora, and between the Congolese minority and the Belgian majority. Their interconnectedness further reveals the postcolonial character of this political sphere. Résumé Dans le cadre de cette contribution à deux voix, nous interrogeons les enjeux postcoloniaux du champ politique congolais en Belgique, l'ancienne métropole. Deux grands axes sont développés. Premièrement, la mise en perspective historique de cette politisation, avant même l'existence d'une immigration congolaise en Belgique. Deuxièmement, le pluralisme politique, hautement concurrentiel qui se donne à voir depuis le début des années 2000. Après avoir restitué la constitution et la recomposition, dans le temps, de ce champ politique, dont le transnationalisme, We would like to extend our thanks to Jean-Michel La eur and Didier Gondola for their critical reviews of this work and to the journal's anonymous reviewers for the care and precision of their remarks.
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This article discusses the dispossession experienced by people of African descent during collaborations within Belgian institutions. I show that identifying misunderstandings or dysfunctions is not sufficient to explain why people of... more
This article discusses the dispossession experienced by people of African descent during collaborations within Belgian institutions. I show that identifying misunderstandings or dysfunctions is not sufficient to explain why people of African descent, whether activist or not, consider that institutions appropriate their knowledge and sometimes bodies as part of more or less remunerated labor for/within Belgian institutions. I address these collaborations as instruments of ‘temporary inclusion’. I discuss the conditions under which the experience of dispossession that occurs through these devices can be addressed as an extraction politics.
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In recent decades, Kinshasa and Brazzaville have given rise to movements of prophecy, messianic fervour and revival (Pentecostalist in nature) in the field of religion. The patterns of liberation and deliverance that can be discerned here... more
In recent decades, Kinshasa and Brazzaville have given rise to movements of prophecy, messianic fervour and revival (Pentecostalist in nature) in the field of religion. The patterns of liberation and deliverance that can be discerned here reflect forms of identity politics in which Africanity, in the ethnic and national sense, is not only a major issue, but a component that is increasingly associated with armed conflict. These processes express a radical paradigm shift that we place within the context of the relationship between Africanity and religious pluralism that has become evident in these two religious areas in recent years. The term ‘Mboka Mundele’ (the village or country of the Whites) points to an experience of ‘colonial modernity’, and allows us to describe in objective terms the current urban context in which these ‘businessmen of God’ emerge. Fernando Kutino, Ntoumi, Yaucat Guendi and Ne Muanda Nsemi are four major politico-religious figures who embody an ideology of Africanity related to complex types of ‘magic’ and processes of pluralization.
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L’Église kimbanguiste (EJCSK), les Églises de réveil, le Ministère du Combat Spirituel du couple Olangi, sont trois mouvements religieux d’origine congolaise affirmant un christianisme africain affranchi des assignations coloniales et... more
L’Église kimbanguiste (EJCSK), les Églises de réveil, le Ministère du Combat Spirituel du couple Olangi, sont trois mouvements religieux d’origine congolaise affirmant un christianisme africain affranchi des assignations coloniales et néocoloniales. Bien que ces mouvements soient irréductibles les uns aux autres sur le plan historique, ils sont tous
travaillés par la thématique du combat spirituel. Sur la base de recherches menées au sein de ces mondes religieux plurilocalisés, les auteurs examinent la redistribution temporelle et
spatiale des territoires sorciers. Après avoir rappelé les métamorphoses de la sorcellerie dans la société congolaise depuis les années 1990, les pratiques et les discours relatifs à la
sorcellerie sont examinés pour chacun des mouvements. Les recompositions religieuses qu’engage la migration en Europe sont ensuite mises en perspective en posant la question de
savoir dans quelle mesure ces pratiques et discours en situation migratoire activent le référent postcolonial. Si le projet migratoire est avant tout un projet de réalisation de soi et d’affranchissement pour les adeptes du combat spirituel, il est en même temps associé à une entreprise de rédemption d’une Europe jugée en perdition, et même, selon les kimbanguistes,
en proie à la sorcellerie. Ce fond commun supporte toutefois aussi des divergences. Tandis que la migration est associée à une reformulation des discours sur la famille pour les
olangistes et à une forte transformation des discours et des pratiques de délivrance au sein des Églises de réveil, le déplacement en Europe correspond au contraire pour la diaspora
kimbanguiste, à une confrontation accrue avec un territoire considéré comme éminemment sorcier.
travaillés par la thématique du combat spirituel. Sur la base de recherches menées au sein de ces mondes religieux plurilocalisés, les auteurs examinent la redistribution temporelle et
spatiale des territoires sorciers. Après avoir rappelé les métamorphoses de la sorcellerie dans la société congolaise depuis les années 1990, les pratiques et les discours relatifs à la
sorcellerie sont examinés pour chacun des mouvements. Les recompositions religieuses qu’engage la migration en Europe sont ensuite mises en perspective en posant la question de
savoir dans quelle mesure ces pratiques et discours en situation migratoire activent le référent postcolonial. Si le projet migratoire est avant tout un projet de réalisation de soi et d’affranchissement pour les adeptes du combat spirituel, il est en même temps associé à une entreprise de rédemption d’une Europe jugée en perdition, et même, selon les kimbanguistes,
en proie à la sorcellerie. Ce fond commun supporte toutefois aussi des divergences. Tandis que la migration est associée à une reformulation des discours sur la famille pour les
olangistes et à une forte transformation des discours et des pratiques de délivrance au sein des Églises de réveil, le déplacement en Europe correspond au contraire pour la diaspora
kimbanguiste, à une confrontation accrue avec un territoire considéré comme éminemment sorcier.
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L’objet de cet article est d’examiner la manière dont la sociologie s’est appropriée la critique postcoloniale en revenant, premièrement, sur la rupture épistémologique dont s’originent les études postcoloniales, deuxièmement, sur... more
L’objet de cet article est d’examiner la manière dont la sociologie s’est appropriée la critique postcoloniale en revenant, premièrement, sur la rupture épistémologique dont s’originent les études postcoloniales, deuxièmement, sur l’avènement tardif d’une sociologie postcoloniale. Cet éclairage situé nous permettra d’éclairer la controverse postcoloniale française qui, depuis une dizaine d’années, questionne la légitimité des études postcoloniales dans le champ académique français et, plus implicitement, l’aptitude de la sociologie à rendre compte des logiques de continuité dans le champ du social et du multiculturel.
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Beyond French controversy: the postcolonial critique in sociology
The aim of this article is to explore how sociology addresses the postcolonial critique by looking firstly, at the epistemological shift within which postcolonial studies lies and secondly, at the late coming of a postcolonial sociology. The purpose of this article is to shed new light on the French postcolonial controversy that has been questioning the legitimacy of postcolonial studies in the French academy for over a decade and, more indirectly, the ability of sociology to give an account of the logics of continuity in the field of social and multicultural phenomena.
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Beyond French controversy: the postcolonial critique in sociology
The aim of this article is to explore how sociology addresses the postcolonial critique by looking firstly, at the epistemological shift within which postcolonial studies lies and secondly, at the late coming of a postcolonial sociology. The purpose of this article is to shed new light on the French postcolonial controversy that has been questioning the legitimacy of postcolonial studies in the French academy for over a decade and, more indirectly, the ability of sociology to give an account of the logics of continuity in the field of social and multicultural phenomena.
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The 8th Biennial Afroeuropeans Network Conference "Intersectional Challenges in Afroeuropean Communities" will take place from 7-10 July 2021 in Brussels, the capital of Europe. Hosted by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), this... more
The 8th Biennial Afroeuropeans Network Conference "Intersectional Challenges in Afroeuropean Communities" will take place from 7-10 July 2021 in Brussels, the capital of Europe. Hosted by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), this conference is the result of a long collaboration between academics, writers, artists and activists that gave rise to the International Afroeuropeans Network. The conference aims to consider how Afroeuropean communities are shaped by the intersections of 'race' and ethnicity with other markers of identification such as gender, class, sexuality, ability, age, citizenship status, language… Informed by intersectional thinking (Combahee River Collective, 1979; hooks, 1981; Crenshaw 1989) and its rejection of unidimensional perspectives in activism, policy and research, the conference explores how diverse processes of privileging and discrimination interact, making for complex and dynamic experiences of what it means to be Afroeuropean. It acknowledges that the racial and ethnic alterity of Afroeuropeans intersects with other identities (e.g. male, female, queer, working class, religious, disabled, aged…) and specifically seeks to examine to what extent these intersections create new alignments and opportunities. Of particular interest are the multiple ways in which Afroeuropeans challenge dominant modes of representation and knowledge production, for instance by claiming space and citizenship, altering taken-for-granted modes of knowing and organizing, and presenting their experiences and perspectives as part and parcel of European society and identity. The conference engages with the dynamism emerging from the growing decolonisation movements and their calls for rethinking dominant modes of knowledge production and representation. We invite reflection on the various layers of intersectional existence, activism, and scholarship with a special focus on the lives of Black Europeans with ancestry in Africa and African diasporic geographical locations such as the Americas and the Caribbean. Building on the notion of 'subjugated knowledge', the conference explores how marginalized positions may also give rise to innovative epistemological positions, resistance to and revision of the status quo, and inspire activism and reforms of institutions and policies in Europe and beyond.