Grace Nwamah
- Areas of expertise
- Religion, politics, and governance in postcolonial Africa; Trust, institutional legitimacy, and state–society relations; Gender, sexuality, and power in African contexts; Decolonial and postcolonial theory; Socio-legal studies of religion and regulation; Qualitative and interpretive research methodologies
- [email protected]
- Faculty
- Arts, Humanities and Cultures
- School
- Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute
My research sits at the intersection of religion, governance, and social power in postcolonial contexts, with a regional focus on Nigeria. My PhD, Mistrust, Misgovernance and Religion in Nigeria: A Qualitative Exploration of the CAMA 2020 Controversy, examines how state regulation of religious organisations reshapes public trust, civic legitimacy, and contestations over authority. Drawing on qualitative methods, it foregrounds how legal reforms become sites of negotiation between state actors, faith communities, and civil society.
More broadly, my work engages interdisciplinary debates on religion and politics, gender and sexuality, and decolonial theory. I am particularly interested in how moral discourses and institutional practices structure inclusion, exclusion, and silence, especially in relation to gendered and sexual subjectivities. My research adopts a decolonial lens to interrogate how knowledge, power, and governance frameworks are produced and contested in the Global South.
Across these strands, I aim to generate insights with clear policy and wellbeing relevance, particularly regarding trust in institutions, social cohesion, and the lived implications of governance for marginalised communities.
Visiting Fellowship Research
When women in Nigeria speak out about harassment by powerful men, the consequences often extend beyond the original incident. Instead of support, many face public criticism, loss of credibility, or formal penalties. This project examines this pattern as the “governance of silence” - how institutions and public debates shape whose voices are heard and believed.
The study focuses on how these responses affect health and wellbeing. Being discredited or silenced can lead to stress, anxiety, social isolation, and damage to careers and reputations. Understanding these effects is important for recognising how power and inequality shape everyday experiences of harm.
The research will use qualitative methods to analyse a small number of well-documented cases across political and university settings. It will examine media reports, official statements, and social media discussions, and include a limited number of in-depth interviews where appropriate.
By showing how silencing operates and how it affects wellbeing, the project will improve understanding of the links between power, voice, and health.
Publications
Please see Google Scholar and ORCID
Qualifications
- PhD, Theology and Religious Studies
- MA, Religion and Society
- BA, Religion and Cultural Studies
Professional memberships
- The African Association for the Study of Religion (AASR)
- African Studies Association of Africa (ASAA)
- American Academy of Religion (AAR)
- The British Association for the Study of Religion (BASR)