Coexistence in a Plural Urban Metropolis and the Role of Religion - The Case of Lagos

Özet

This study examines how the order of coexistence is maintained in socially plural urban settings and through which social mechanisms it is reconstructed in contexts of tension, focusing on the role of religion in everyday life in the case of Lagos. The primary aim of the research is to analyze the function of religion in social relations without reducing it to a normative framework, drawing on individuals’ lived experiences and practices of encounter. In this regard, the study addresses the question: “In a socially and religiously plural metropolis such as Lagos, what role does religion play in sustaining the order of coexistence in everyday life and in reconfiguring it during moments of tension?” The study adopts a qualitative research approach and is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 35 participants in Lagos, including religious leaders, representatives of civil society organizations, and members of the public, as well as field observations. The findings indicate that peace in Lagos is largely maintained not through formal policies but through everyday interactions, locally grounded mediation practices of religious leaders, and the contextual use of religious discourse. The study demonstrates that religion should not be understood as a fixed factor of either reconciliation or conflict in social life, but rather as a dynamic social resource that operates in different ways depending on context. In this respect, the study makes an empirical contribution to sociological literature on the search for cultures of coexistence in multicultural cities.