Uploaded November 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Role of Religion in Electoral Politics in Ghana and America: The Surprising Similarities.
In this talk, Asante examines the role of religion (Christian) in electoral politics in Ghana and America during the 2016 Elections. He will present preliminary findings on ongoing research project on religion and electoral politics in Ghana and America. He demonstrates that despite the separation of religion from the state, religion played an important role in the 2016 Elections in Ghana and America. He concludes by looking at the implications for the future of democracy in Ghana and America.
Dr. Richard Asante a Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. Asante holds a PhD in Political Science under the Harvard University, Boston (USA) and University of Ghana Split-PhD Program. He previously served as the Head of Department and Research Coordinator of the History and Politics Unit of the Institute of African Studies from August 2014 to July 2016. Asante teaches courses in comparative politics of Africa, peace and security in Africa and political economy of African development at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. He has special research interest in democratization, social capital and religion and politics. Asante has received a number of awards and fellowships. He was a Resident Scholar in International Relations at Pomona College, Claremont, USA during the 2016-2017 academic year where he taught courses in comparative politics of Africa and peace and security in Africa. He previously served as a Visiting Scholar at the New School University, New York (2004); Oxford University, UK (2005), University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa; and Northwestern University, Evanston, USA (2012-2013). Asante is the Regional Manager for West Africa in the Varieties of Democracy Project (V-DEM) based in the University of Gothenburg, Sweden researching into alternative ways of measuring democracy globally. He is also a Mo Ibrahim Scholar of African Governance and Development; and Afrobarometer Scholar, and Associate member of the Afrobarometer Research Team, Ghana under the auspices of the Ghana Center for Democracy and Development (CDD-Ghana).
The Role of Religion in Electoral Politics in Ghana and America: The Surprising Similarities.
In this talk, Asante examines the role of religion (Christian) in electoral politics in Ghana and America during the 2016 Elections. He will present preliminary findings on ongoing research project on religion and electoral politics in Ghana and America. He demonstrates that despite the separation of religion from the state, religion played an important role in the 2016 Elections in Ghana and America. He concludes by looking at the implications for the future of democracy in Ghana and America.
Dr. Richard Asante a Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. Asante holds a PhD in Political Science under the Harvard University, Boston (USA) and University of Ghana Split-PhD Program. He previously served as the Head of Department and Research Coordinator of the History and Politics Unit of the Institute of African Studies from August 2014 to July 2016. Asante teaches courses in comparative politics of Africa, peace and security in Africa and political economy of African development at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. He has special research interest in democratization, social capital and religion and politics. Asante has received a number of awards and fellowships. He was a Resident Scholar in International Relations at Pomona College, Claremont, USA during the 2016-2017 academic year where he taught courses in comparative politics of Africa and peace and security in Africa. He previously served as a Visiting Scholar at the New School University, New York (2004); Oxford University, UK (2005), University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa; and Northwestern University, Evanston, USA (2012-2013). Asante is the Regional Manager for West Africa in the Varieties of Democracy Project (V-DEM) based in the University of Gothenburg, Sweden researching into alternative ways of measuring democracy globally. He is also a Mo Ibrahim Scholar of African Governance and Development; and Afrobarometer Scholar, and Associate member of the Afrobarometer Research Team, Ghana under the auspices of the Ghana Center for Democracy and Development (CDD-Ghana).
