Invitation - Methodological Seminar "Ethnography of Prayer Commodification: Field Encounters, Methodological Challenges, and Theoretical Reflections from Ibadan"

Our next methodological seminar will take place on 9 December 2025. It will feature Dr Moruff Mudasiru, affiliated with the Department of Archeology and Anthropology of the University of Ibadan. He will present on the topic "Ethnography of Prayer Commodification: Field Encounters, Methodological Challenges, and Theoretical Reflections from Ibadan." Drawing on his experience studying Jálàbí, the Islamic petitionary prayer, in Ibadan he will bring the audience through a fieldwork marked by trust-building, ethical dilemmas and unexpected events, and how to practice ethnography in such circumstances. His work also adopts a hermeneutic theory as the framework to interpret the symbolic and economic meanings of prayer practices. It therefore connects with the anthropology of Islam.

Practical information

Date & Time: 9 December 2025, 10am-12pm

Location: IFRA-Nigeria Resources Centre, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan

Register here before 05/12/2025: https://forms.gle/Xp1SSxsGhWwLo4f69

Biography:

Moruff Mudasiru holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and he is affiliated with the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan. His research interests include Social and Cultural Anthropology, Religion and the intersection of everyday life, Contemporary Islam and Popular Culture, African Studies, Anthropology, and Conflict Management. Meanwhile, he has articles and book chapters that have appeared in reputable outlets, locally and internationally, and many others are forthcoming, ongoing, or in the final stage of being published. He is a Laureate of the 4th CODESRA/CASB Summer School, 2021, Dakar/Senegal; 2025 Cadbury Fellow, University of Birmingham, UK, and member, The Lagos Studies Association. He has attended and participated in conferences, seminars, and workshops in Nigeria and overseas.

Poster image source: Mosque in Ibadan (17 April 2017), Omoeko Media, found on Wiki Commons. License: CC BY-SA.

Tags: Religion, Anthropology