Emmanuel Anizoba

Biography

I am Dr. Anizoba Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria, with over fourteen years of teaching, research, and academic leadership experience. My responsibilities include teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses, supervising bachelor's, master's, and doctoral research, curriculum development, mentoring early-career academics, and contributing to departmental and university academic administration.

I hold a Ph.D. in Religion and Cultural Studies (African Traditional Religion) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (2020). M.A. in Religion and Human Relations (African Traditional Religion) from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in (2009), and B.A. in Religion (Second Class Upper Division) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I also obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from the National Teachers Institute in affiliation with Usmanu Danfodiyo University in (2010) respectively.

My research focuses on African Traditional Religion, religion and society, ethics, indigenous knowledge systems, and the intersection of religion and health, particularly disease causation and maternal and child health. I am especially interested in examining how African indigenous belief systems interact with biomedical approaches to health and how these perspectives can contribute to culturally informed and sustainable healthcare interventions. My work also explores religious syncretism, morality, social justice, and the role of religion in social transformation and development. I have published widely in reputable international peer-reviewed journals and continue to engage in interdisciplinary research that bridges African religious epistemologies with public health, culture, and sustainable development.

Project Information

Project Title: Disease Causation, Indigenous Belief Systems, and Maternal and Child Health in Nigeria: A Dialogue between African Traditional Religion and Biomedical Epistemologies

This project explores how indigenous African, particularly Igbo, understandings of disease causation interact with biomedical explanations of illness and how these perspectives shape maternal and child health behaviours and healthcare decisions in Nigeria. It seeks to develop an interdisciplinary framework that fosters constructive dialogue between African Traditional Religion and biomedical epistemologies, with the aim of promoting culturally responsive and effective healthcare interventions.

The fellowship will provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen the theoretical, methodological, and comparative dimensions of the research through collaboration with leading scholars in religion, public health, and African studies. During my stay, I plan to undertake an extensive review of relevant literature, refine the project's conceptual framework, participate in seminars and research workshops, engage with interdisciplinary research groups, prepare high-quality journal publications, and develop future collaborative research proposals and international funding applications.

The project will be undertaken under the mentorship of Professor Emma Tomalin, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (AHC), School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (PRHS), University of Leeds. Professor Tomalin's internationally recognised expertise in religion, development, global health, and the relationship between faith and public policy provides an ideal intellectual environment for this research. Her guidance will significantly enhance the project's interdisciplinary scope and international relevance while strengthening long-term research collaboration between the University of Leeds and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.