Joseph Hellweg

I am a cultural anthropologist who has worked in Côte d'Ivoire since 1993, in Guinea since 2008, and in Mali since 2009. I focus on the lives of Muslim populations in Manding-speaking West Africa and specifically on how they integrate African indigenous ritual practices, including those related to healing, into their lives. More recently, I have begun researching the lives of transgender, lesbian, and gay Ivoirians in relation to Christianity and Islam.

I am the current president of the Mande Studies Association, an affiliate organization of the African Studies Association. I am also one of four editors of the "Religion in Transforming Africa" series for James Curry/Boydell & Brewer (UK), and book review editor for the 'Journal of Religion in Africa' (Brill).