Student profiles
Imeje E. Fidelis
Email: i.e.fidelis@keele.ac.uk
Thesis Title
Institution
Supervisors
Professor Mariangela Palladio
Dr. Shalini Sharma
Research Summary
My research explores the interconnectedness of Africa, the Americas, and Europe within the context of global history, focusing on the internationalization of the Orisa religion during the colonial era. It investigates the shared impact of colonial regimes on cultural practices, interactions, and coexistence in Africa and the Americas between 1861 and 1960. Through a comparative case study of Orisa religious traditions in southwest Nigeria and Trinidad, this research aims to contribute nuanced insights to the study of African traditional religions, shedding light on the complex dynamics of cultural exchange, adaptation, and resilience.
J.D.Y. Peel (Peel, 2016) poses a thought-provoking question: why has the Orisa religion declined in its Yoruba homeland, while thriving and expanding globally, attracting adherents beyond African-descended populations? Similarly, Thomas Ilesanmi (Ilesanmi, 1991) and Maha Marouan (Marouan, 2018) challenge the notion of a uniform Yoruba community and Orisa religious practices, including the concept of Olodumare as the supreme Yoruba deity and the Orishas as intermediaries. My project investigates Peel’s inquiry and the contested issues raised by Ilesanmi and Marouan through the experiences of Orisa devotees in colonial southwest Nigeria and Trinidad, between 1861 and 1960.
In terms of methodology, I will utilize a historical-ethnographic approach, integrating archival research and Ethnographic methods to investigate the central questions. Archival records will yield valuable textual evidence, while fieldwork will provide opportunities for participant observation of Orisa religious traditions. This innovative methodology will facilitate an in-depth examination of the racial and cultural identities of Orisa devotees, as well as reconstruct their life histories in a chronological narrative.
This project prioritizes the experiences and challenges of traditional religion worshippers during the transatlantic slave trade and colonial periods, emphasizing their agency in preserving, transferring, and exchanging cultural practices. By exploring the complex dynamics that shaped belief systems and practices during these pivotal eras, this research aims to enhance our understanding of the intersections between slavery, colonialism, and religious expression in Africa and its Diasporas. Ultimately, this project seeks to contribute to a more inclusive, equitable, and just society.
Research Interests
African History, The Atlantic World, Social and Cultural Studies.
Publications
Encyclopedia Entries
Fidelis, Imeje Ebri. “African Traditional Religon.” Holt, Andrew. Religion and World Civilizations: How Faith Shaped Societies from Antiquity to the Present. Ed. Andrew Holt. Vol. 2. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2023. 213-215.
Fidelis, Imeje Ebri. “Animism in Modern Africa.” Holt, Andrew. Religion and World Civilizations: How Faith Shaped Societies from Antiquity to the Present. Ed. Andrew Holt. Vol. 3. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2023. 127-129.
Fidelis, Imeje Ebri. “Divination in Modern Africa.” Holt, Andrew. Religion and World Civilizations: How Faith Shaped Societies from Antiquity to the Present. Ed. Andrew Holt. Vol. 3. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2023. 135-137.
Fidelis, Imeje Ebri. “Islam and the Ghana Empire.” Holt, Andrew. Religion and World Civilizations: How Faith Shaped Societies from Antiquity to the Present. Ed. Andrew Holt. Vol. 2. New York: Bloomsbury Publishers Inc., 2023. 231-232.
Journal Articles
Fidelis, Imeje Ebri, Ibrahim, Aisha Ningi and Dankullu, Mukhtar Habibu “The Effects of the British Colonial Court System on the Nigerian Judiciary: The Bade Native Court Example, 1906-1945.” Dynamic Multidisciplinary Journal of Nigeria V.2 (2024): 22-28.
Okolo, Abutu Lawrence, Nongonan, Apya Hyacinth, Fidelis, Imeje Ebri, and Audu, Siyaka. “Impacts of Globalisation on Africa’s Educational System, 1980-2000.” Bade Journal of Arts (BAJA) II.I (2024): 66-79
Fidelis, Imeje Ebri, Jibrin Ibrahim Gani, and Okolo, Abutu Lawrence. “The Challenges of National Development in Post-Colonial Africa: The Case of Sao Tome and Principe, 1975-2022.” Bade Journal of Arts (BAJA) II.II (2024): 233-242
Fidelis, Imeje Ebri and Jibrin Ibrahim Gani. “The Misunderstood Concepts of Jihad and Crusade: What it Means for State and Global Politics in the 21st Century.” Kaduna Journal of Historical Studies III.I (2021): 108-122.
Fidelis, Imeje Ebri “The Forgotten Land and Prople of Northeast Nigeria: Pre-colonial Politics and Administration of Bade Polity, 1500-1904.” Kaduna Journal of Humanities III.2 (2019): 225-236.
Fidelis, Imeje Ebri. “British Administration of Bade District, 1904-1945.” Fudma Journal of Arts III.2 (2019): 151-160.
Conference Presentations
“The British Colonial Legacies in Nigeria: The Bade District Experience, 1924-1945,” Presented at the Arewa House and The Pan Africana Strategic and Policy Research Group (PANAFSTRAG) Conference on The Making and Building of Nigeria: People, Places, Times and Legacies, 1914-2024, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, 4-6 October, 2024.
“Administering a British West African Colony: Slavery, Religion, and Legislation in Lagos, 1861-1906,” Presented at the African Studies Association of the UK (ASAUK) Conference on Generation and Regeneration, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom, 29-31 August, 2024.
“Colonial Connections: British Administrators in the Lagos Colony, 1861-1906,” Presented at the 8th Annual Lagos Studies Conference on African Identities: Peoples, Cultures and Institutions in Motion, University of Lagos, Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria, 25-29 June, 2024.
“The Misunderstood Concepts of Jihad and Crusade: What it means for State and Global Politics in The 21st Century,” Presented at the 9th Toyin Falola Annual International Conference on Africa and the African Diaspora (TOFAC 2019), Babcock University, IlishanRemo, Ogun State, Nigeria, 1-3 July, 2019.
“The Myth and Reality of Ethnic Rivalry and Nation Building in Africa: The Ugep/Adim Experience, South-South Nigeria,” Presented at the Faculty of Arts, Lagos State University and African Study Institute, University of Georgia 3rd Annual International Conference, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria, 21st-26th July, 2019.