Assistant professor of anthropology

The rich tapestry of African cultures fascinates Professor Michelle Johnson. An anthropologist, she focuses her work on the religious and cultural practices of the Mandinga people in the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau and in Portugal, the country’s former colonizer.

Johnson’s research explores the way that the Mandinga have fused traditional African practices and beliefs with the teachings of the Qur’an. "Islam is deeply rooted in their identity," she says. "But due to transnationalism and increased contact with Muslims from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia [in Portugal], they’re beginning to see that the way they practice Islam is different."

Understanding Johnson’s work requires understanding the cultural background. Guinea-Bissau, which is nestled between Senegal and Guinea, is roughly the size of Delaware and has fewer people than Philadelphia - about 1 million. It’s a country with a small-town feel. In fact, says Johnson, she was once stranded with a group when their bush taxi broke down, and the president of the country drove by and gave her a lift back to the capital.

Blend of beliefs and traditions
Sixty-five percent of the Guinea-Bissau people practice indigenous African religions. Among the 30 percent who practice Islam are the Mandinga, whose homeland is in present-day Mali but who live throughout West Africa, including Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal. A significant number of Mandinga immigrated to present-day Portugal in the late 20th century, creating a complex blend of beliefs and traditions.

Johnson’s most recent publication examines the cultural variation and understanding of the practice of female circumcision. Published in Transcultural Bodies: Female Genital Cutting in a Global Context, her chapter addresses the Mandinga people’s transition into Portugal and their view of female circumcision. For them, it is an important ritual and not the oppressive practice that is often portrayed in the news media.

"The tradition is the beginning of the process of becoming a Muslim as well as a Mandinga woman," Johnson says, noting its importance to ethnicity and religious identity. She goes on to explain that the Mandinga women believe that if a woman is not circumcised, Allah will not hear her prayers, nor will she be desired for marriage.

Misunderstandings
Johnson’s work details the judgment and misunderstandings that the Mandinga people women and men face as they leave Africa and move to Portugal. Following a 1999 French documentary on female circumcision, Mandinga people have faced discrimination such as "Europeans not wanting to sit with them or refusing to take money from their hands at the grocery store," says Johnson. As a result, some Mandinga men discourage their wives from circumcision, even though the women continue to attach great cultural and religious importance to the ritual.

"Female circumcision has moved from a cultural understanding within the village to a global debate on womanhood, religion, and sexuality," Johnson says, "and every side has something very different to say about these topics and the stakes for those involved."

Teaching Areas

• Religions in Africa
• Anthropological theory
• Anthropology of religion

Recent Publications

"The Proof Is on My Palm: Debating Islam and Ritual in a New African Diaspora." The Journal of Religion in Africa, 36(1); 50-77, 2006.

"Religion in Guinea-Bissau." The Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, ed. Thomas Riggs, pp. 440-447. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Thomas Gale, 2006.

"Making Mandinga or Making Muslims? Debating Female Circumcision, Ethnicity, and Islam in Guinea-Bissau and Portugal." Transcultural Bodies: Female Genital Cutting in Global Context, ed. Ylva Hernlund and Bettina Shell-Duncan, pp. 202-223. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2007.