The Soft Voice of Activism. Christian Lobbying and Reform in the Fields of Sexual Rights and Domestic Violence in Botswana and South Africa

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Taking religio-political activism by Christian organizations in Botswana and South Africa as the entry-point for an ethnographic analysis, this anthropological project explores the relationship between two modalities of religio-political activism, namely 'lobbying' and 'reform'. Comparing these modalities provides important insights into forms of religio-political activism that have different audiences and 'directions' of communication. As understood in this project, lobbying is characterized by a 'bottom-up' approach (i.e. citizens trying to influence political decision-makers); reform, on the other hand, follows a 'top-down' approach (i.e. 'reformed' activists trying to influence 'not-yet-reformed' ordinary citizens). More particularly, the project explores religio-political activism against rights for sexual minorities (sub-project Botswana) and activism against sexual violence committed against women (sub-project South Africa). This promises important insights into how Christian organizations in Africa are presently entering a new phase of civic (often: conservative) engagement as they build on previous forms of religious politicking, as they are influenced by transnationally circulating discourses, and as they shape future developments on this continent. In doing so, the findings of, and theoretical perspectives developed in, this project promise to offer new conceptual analyses of (a) 'soft' modalities of activism, (b) the role of 'languages of persuasiveness' in the activists' attempts to effect transformations in the social world, (c) forms of activism that are rather conservative than revolutionary, and (d) newly emerging interactions and intersections between the religious and the political domain.