Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Transformation of Shi'ite Islam: Towards a Lebanese/Senegalese Religious Integration?

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This study, conducted by a doctoral student in anthropology from Brown University, examines the role of Islam in the adaptation and assimilation of Lebanese migrants in Senegal and investigates how and why the beliefs and practices of two Muslim peoples in contact with each other for a century (Lebanese Shi'ites and Senegalese Sunnis) have recently been transformed. Religious similarities between Lebanese and Senegalese have not previously been a cause for integration, and racial boundaries have remained strong. This began to change with the founding of the Lebanese Islamic Institute in 1978 by a Shi'ite sheikh from Lebanon. The specific objectives of this study are to: 1) explore how Lebanese religious practices change in the process of migration and assimilation; 2) evaluate ties to Lebanon among the Lebanese community in Senegal and how these ties influence cultural and religious identity; 3) reformulate theories of migration, immigrant assimilation and transnationalism. In addition to contributing to these theoretical arenas, the findings are directly relevant to policy concerns regarding the impacts of migrant populations on receiving countries.