Dr R.A. van Dijk

Main researcher

Theme group:		C&T theme group
Focus:		Botswana; Ghana; Malawi
Telephone:		+31 (0)71 527 6607
Fax:		+31 (0)71 527 3344
E-mail:

Rijk van Dijk is an anthropologist. His research focuses on the rise of new religious movements in Africa, particularly Pentecostalism, in relation to globalization and transnational connections. He has done extensive research on the emergence of Pentecostal movements in Malawi and the way these have involved youth, politics and societal transformation. His current research focuses on the relationship between Pentecostalism and migration from and within Africa. By studying transnational dimensions of Ghanaian Pentecostalism and its connection with the migration of Ghanaians to the Netherlands (The Hague) and to Botswana (Gaborone), issues of multiculturalism, xenophobia and social capital are addressed. In the case of Botswana, the rise of Pentecostalism is further explored by studying the relationship between religion and sexuality, which is indicative of the changing role and significance of these new religious movements for African societies.

Rijk van Dijk is editor-in-chief of 'African Diaspora, a journal of Transnational Africa in a Global World'. This peer-reviewed journal is published twice a year by Brill Publishers Leiden. The first issue appeared in 2008.

4 Projects

& List of publications

Key publications