Graduate Grant Awardees
Thanks to the generosity of our funders and supporters, we can provide a limited number of conference grants to support the participation of graduate students at the conference. The 2026 awardees are listed below.
Joseph Kwadwo Asuming
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, GHANA
Paper title: Peacebuilding Initiatives of Women in Religious and Chieftaincy Institutions in Ghana
Joseph Kwadwo Asuming is a Lisa Maskell PhD Fellow at the University of Ghana and a recipient of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship. His doctoral research examines the role of religion in peacebuilding during Ghana’s Fourth Republic, with particular attention to the contributions of institutional actors within Christianity, Islam, and African Indigenous Religions. Joseph Kwadwo Asuming is currently a student research exchange participant at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany, under the Erasmus+ programme. His research interests include religious peacebuilding, interfaith and ecumenical relations. He has presented at international conferences, including IAHR (Kraków), AASR (Abuja), SSAS (Bern), and SSSR (Minneapolis). His work bridges scholarship and practice in fostering peaceful, pluralistic societies.
Joseph Kwadwo Asuming is a Lisa Maskell PhD Fellow at the University of Ghana and a recipient of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship. His doctoral research examines the role of religion in peacebuilding during Ghana’s Fourth Republic, with particular attention to the contributions of institutional actors within Christianity, Islam, and African Indigenous Religions. Joseph Kwadwo Asuming is currently a student research exchange participant at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany, under the Erasmus+ programme. His research interests include religious peacebuilding, interfaith and ecumenical relations. He has presented at international conferences, including IAHR (Kraków), AASR (Abuja), SSAS (Bern), and SSSR (Minneapolis). His work bridges scholarship and practice in fostering peaceful, pluralistic societies.
Stover Eduardo Ezequias
LISBON UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE/KATYAVAL BWILA UNIVERSITY, ANGOLA
Paper title: Spirituality and Perception of Offence in Internet Advertising: An Analysis of the Reactions of Islamic, Christian and Animist Religious in Angola
Stover Ezequias is a researcher in Communication Sciences at ISCTE – Lisbon University Institute, affiliated with LIACOM and the ESCS-IPL Research Centre, and an Assistant Professor at Katyavala Bwila University, Angola. He holds a Master’s degree in Marketing from the University of Lisbon and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from Katyavala Bwila University. His research focuses on advertising, media, and religion. His expertise covers the intersection between advertising and religion, understanding how religious groups view marketing and advertising strategies in the current communication context.
Stover Ezequias is a researcher in Communication Sciences at ISCTE – Lisbon University Institute, affiliated with LIACOM and the ESCS-IPL Research Centre, and an Assistant Professor at Katyavala Bwila University, Angola. He holds a Master’s degree in Marketing from the University of Lisbon and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from Katyavala Bwila University. His research focuses on advertising, media, and religion. His expertise covers the intersection between advertising and religion, understanding how religious groups view marketing and advertising strategies in the current communication context.
Chepng’eno Carolyne
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA, SOUTH AFRICA
Paper title: Pastoral Leadership: Reclaiming Agency among Unmarried Kenyan Women Clergy
Chepng’eno Carolyne is a PhD student in Religious Studies at the University of South Africa. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Religion and a Bachelor’s degree in Education Arts from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. Chepng’eno Carolyne’s research interests include African women’s theology, religion and social change, religion and culture, indigenous knowledge systems, environmental justice, and the intersections of faith, gender, and social transformation. She actively engages in scholarly discussions aimed at advancing inclusive, contextually grounded theological and social research in Africa
Chepng’eno Carolyne is a PhD student in Religious Studies at the University of South Africa. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Religion and a Bachelor’s degree in Education Arts from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. Chepng’eno Carolyne’s research interests include African women’s theology, religion and social change, religion and culture, indigenous knowledge systems, environmental justice, and the intersections of faith, gender, and social transformation. She actively engages in scholarly discussions aimed at advancing inclusive, contextually grounded theological and social research in Africa
Charles Chukwudi Ugwunnadi
MAKERERE UNIVERSITY, UGANDA
Paper title: Female–Female Marriage, Spiritual Power, and the Politics of Intimacy: Reimagining Gender Agency in Igbo Indigenous Traditions
Charles Chukwudi Ugwunnadi is a PhD candidate in Moral Philosophy (Ethics) at Makerere University. His research interests lie at the intersection of African Indigenous Religions, gender, sexuality, and the regulation of intimacy. Charles Chukwudi Ugwunnadi holds a First Class Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Religion and Cultural Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and a Master’s degree in Moral Philosophy (Ethics). His doctoral research examines female–female marriage in Igbo society as a spiritual, social, and political institution that challenges Western heteronormative frameworks and contemporary legal regimes. Drawing on African philosophy, religious studies, feminist and queer theory, his work explores how spiritual power, kinship, and gender agency are negotiated within indigenous traditions. He has published and presented on sexuality, ethics, bioethics, and human rights in African contexts and is committed to decolonial scholarship that foregrounds indigenous epistemologies.
Charles Chukwudi Ugwunnadi is a PhD candidate in Moral Philosophy (Ethics) at Makerere University. His research interests lie at the intersection of African Indigenous Religions, gender, sexuality, and the regulation of intimacy. Charles Chukwudi Ugwunnadi holds a First Class Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Religion and Cultural Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and a Master’s degree in Moral Philosophy (Ethics). His doctoral research examines female–female marriage in Igbo society as a spiritual, social, and political institution that challenges Western heteronormative frameworks and contemporary legal regimes. Drawing on African philosophy, religious studies, feminist and queer theory, his work explores how spiritual power, kinship, and gender agency are negotiated within indigenous traditions. He has published and presented on sexuality, ethics, bioethics, and human rights in African contexts and is committed to decolonial scholarship that foregrounds indigenous epistemologies.
Miriam Wambūi
UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI, KENYA
Paper title: Rūraacio and Spirituality: Embodied Tradition, Social Agency, and Identity among the Agìkūyū of Kenya
Miriam Wambūi is a Project Management Professional (PMP), Wikipedia Editor, trainer, scholar, and digital cultural curator, and is currently a PhD student at the University of Nairobi. Her work explores the intersections of African religion, spirituality, and culture from an anthropological and interdisciplinary perspective, with particular emphasis on symbols, rituals, rites of passage, identity formation, and collective memory. Miriam Wambūi specialises in Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Digital Humanities, Comparative Religion, Church History, New Religious Movements, and Religion and Health. Professionally, she serves as a Cultural Associate and Project Lead at a consulate in Nairobi, where she oversees programme implementation, capacity building, and strategic development, drawing on extensive experience in local and international NGOs and diplomatic missions.
Miriam Wambūi is a Project Management Professional (PMP), Wikipedia Editor, trainer, scholar, and digital cultural curator, and is currently a PhD student at the University of Nairobi. Her work explores the intersections of African religion, spirituality, and culture from an anthropological and interdisciplinary perspective, with particular emphasis on symbols, rituals, rites of passage, identity formation, and collective memory. Miriam Wambūi specialises in Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Digital Humanities, Comparative Religion, Church History, New Religious Movements, and Religion and Health. Professionally, she serves as a Cultural Associate and Project Lead at a consulate in Nairobi, where she oversees programme implementation, capacity building, and strategic development, drawing on extensive experience in local and international NGOs and diplomatic missions.
Abirat Zakariah
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, GHANA
Paper title: On ‘Chamballaziina Amanuu, Nima Angels, Yan’ Bara, Ankura’: Religious Authority, Gender, and the Challenges of Muslim Women’s Preaching in Ghana
Abirat Zakariah is a PhD student in the Study of Religions, specialising in Islamic Studies, at the University of Ghana. Her research focuses on the lived realities of Muslim women as religious peacebuilders, building on her sustained academic interest in Muslim women’s religious agency and leadership. Abirat Zakariah holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in the Study of Religions from the University of Ghana. Her MPhil thesis examined religious authority through the experiences of Muslim women preachers in Accra, analysing the challenges and prospects they face in exercising religious leadership. Her doctoral research extends this work by investigating Muslim women’s engagement in peacebuilding initiatives, contributing to scholarly conversations on religion, gender, and conflict transformation in contemporary African contexts. Through her research, she seeks to illuminate the often-overlooked contributions of Muslim women to religious peacebuilding.
Abirat Zakariah is a PhD student in the Study of Religions, specialising in Islamic Studies, at the University of Ghana. Her research focuses on the lived realities of Muslim women as religious peacebuilders, building on her sustained academic interest in Muslim women’s religious agency and leadership. Abirat Zakariah holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in the Study of Religions from the University of Ghana. Her MPhil thesis examined religious authority through the experiences of Muslim women preachers in Accra, analysing the challenges and prospects they face in exercising religious leadership. Her doctoral research extends this work by investigating Muslim women’s engagement in peacebuilding initiatives, contributing to scholarly conversations on religion, gender, and conflict transformation in contemporary African contexts. Through her research, she seeks to illuminate the often-overlooked contributions of Muslim women to religious peacebuilding.
Kuhle Zondeka
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Paper title: Till Death Do Us Apart: Women’s Negotiation of Spiritual Agency Through Marriage in KwaShembe
Kuhle Zondeka is a feminist scholar completing a PhD at the University of Cape Town. Her doctoral research examines bodily surveillance in ecclesiastical contexts, using the Methodist Church of Southern Africa as a case study. She holds three degrees from the University of Cape Town in politics, gender studies, and criminology. Her research centres on women across historical, political, and social contexts. Currently working as an Advocacy Officer, Kuhle Zondeka’s professional experience focuses on advancing human rights in South Africa. Her broader research interests include gender, the body, race, and political sociology.
Kuhle Zondeka is a feminist scholar completing a PhD at the University of Cape Town. Her doctoral research examines bodily surveillance in ecclesiastical contexts, using the Methodist Church of Southern Africa as a case study. She holds three degrees from the University of Cape Town in politics, gender studies, and criminology. Her research centres on women across historical, political, and social contexts. Currently working as an Advocacy Officer, Kuhle Zondeka’s professional experience focuses on advancing human rights in South Africa. Her broader research interests include gender, the body, race, and political sociology.
Li’Tsoanelo Zwane
UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA
Paper title: Ke Lekunutung le Molimo: The Ocean as a Sacramental, Liberatory Space
Li’Tsoanelo Zwane hails from Gugulethu, Cape Town, South Africa. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Education (Cum Laude) degree from the University of the Western Cape, a Bachelor of Education (Hons) degree from the University of Cape Town, and a Master of Philosophy degree (Cum Laude in the dissertation), also from the University of Cape Town. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the University of the Western Cape. Her doctoral research examines inculturation hermeneutics and counter-colonial ritualistic practices within St John’s Apostolic Faith Mission. Her research interests include land expropriation, African metaphysics, African Indigenous Knowledge Systems, African moral philosophy, ritual healing, gender and spirituality, and critical race interrogations of conquest. Li’Tsoanelo Zwane is also a Lecturer and teaches Ethics, with a focus on African moral philosophy, metaphysics, and moral discourse on economic justice, particularly in relation to colonial conquest and land expropriation. She is a practising Sangoma, Gobela, and Death Doula.
Li’Tsoanelo Zwane hails from Gugulethu, Cape Town, South Africa. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Education (Cum Laude) degree from the University of the Western Cape, a Bachelor of Education (Hons) degree from the University of Cape Town, and a Master of Philosophy degree (Cum Laude in the dissertation), also from the University of Cape Town. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the University of the Western Cape. Her doctoral research examines inculturation hermeneutics and counter-colonial ritualistic practices within St John’s Apostolic Faith Mission. Her research interests include land expropriation, African metaphysics, African Indigenous Knowledge Systems, African moral philosophy, ritual healing, gender and spirituality, and critical race interrogations of conquest. Li’Tsoanelo Zwane is also a Lecturer and teaches Ethics, with a focus on African moral philosophy, metaphysics, and moral discourse on economic justice, particularly in relation to colonial conquest and land expropriation. She is a practising Sangoma, Gobela, and Death Doula.