Leiden University

Faculty Member, Afrika Studie Centrum

researcher

college of humanities

Thesis Title: religion and chieftaincy in Ghana

About

I am a historian and philosopher with a specialised focus on West-Africa. My doctoral research (University of Edinburgh, African Studies) was on the connection between Indigenous Religion and chieftaincy among the Asante in Ghana. Currently I am conducting fieldwork in the Amsterdam Bijlmer district among Ghanaians in the Netherlands. My focus is  on Ghanaian movies  and their reception in Kumasi in Ghana and Amsterdam in The Netherlands. The 'Ghallywood' movies are used as a tool for the study of transformations of consciousness of religious pluralism. I am part of the research project 'Culture and Identities', which is one of the focus areas of the University of Utrecht, see:http://www.uu.nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/GW/GW_Onderzoek/GW_CulturesIdentities/110930-Media-and-Diaspora-report.pdf.

List of video clips:
Youtube: Ghanaian films and Amsterdam audiences: hot research results

Personal website:
http://www.atumpan.com

Müller, L.F., Afrikaanse film in Nederland: Gastcolumn van filosoof Louise Muller  http://www.kennislink.nl/publicaties/afrikaanse-film-ghallywood-in-de-bijlmer

Müller, L.F., ‘New West African films burning hot on the media menu of the Black Diaspora in southeast Amsterdam’. NVAS Nieuwsbrief Maart 2012. Redactie. Marijke Steegstra.

List of recent publications:
International peer reviewed journals
1. Müller, L.F., 2011. ‘Spirits of migration meet the migration of spirits among the Akan diaspora in Amsterdam, theNetherlands’, Africa and Black Diaspora: an international journal, vol. 4. Issue1., 75-97.
2. Online report Cultures and Identities focus group, Utrecht University.http://www.uu.nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/GW/GW_Onderzoek/GW_CulturesIdentities/110930- Media-and-Diaspora-report.pdf.
3. Müller, L.F., 2010. ‘Dancing golden stools’, Fieldwork in Religion, 5.1, 31-54.
4. Müller, L.F., 2008. ‘The reality of spirits: a historiography of the Akan concept of mind’, in: Quest: an African Journal of Philosophy, Volume XXII, No. 1-2, 163-185.
5. Müller, L.F., 2004. ‘A thematic comparison between four African scholars: Idowu, Mbiti, Okot p’Bitek and Appiah’. In: Quest: An African Journal of Philosophy, vol. XVIII, No. 1-2, 109-125.
6. 'Müller, L.F.,'The persistence of Asante Chieftaincy in the Colonial period (1896-1957): explanations of an enigma, Africana Studia. 61-85.

Books and contributions to books
1. Müller, L.F. 2002. ‘An intercultural philosophical study to the consciousness of Asante traditional authorities in
Ghana’, Erasmus University of Rotterdam (the Netherlands). Faculty of Philosophy.
2. Müller, L.F. 2009. ‘Religion and Chieftaincy in Ghana’. Thesis written at the University of Edinburgh, College
of social and political sciences, Centre of African Studies (Scotland).
3. 'Müller, L.F., ‘Ghanaian films and chiefs as indicators of religious change among the Akan in Kumasi and its migrants in southeast Amsterdam’. Editors: Prof R. Heffner (Boston), Dr. J.
Hutchinson (LSE, London). Accepted for publication, forthcoming  in Routledge studies in  religion
4. Müller, L.F., 2009. ‘Sophie Oluwole: politiek filosofe (1935- ) In: C.Ceton, Burg, I v.d., Halsema, A., Vasterling, V. en Vintges, K. Vrouwelijke filosofen: een historisch overzicht, Atlas, 441-446.
5. Nelis, Huub, Van Steensel, K.M. e.a. 2000. ‘Jongeren als experts/ Stille revolutionairen’. Publication ‘Stichting
Maatschappij en Onderneming’ (SMO). My internship report forms an important source for this book.
6. Van Steensel, K.M. e.a., 2000. ‘Internet Generatie: Stichting Maatschappij en Onderneming’ (SMO), My
internship report forms an important source for this book.

National peer reviewed journals
1. Müller, L.F., 1999. ‘Het einde van Amerika’, Roest nr. 0. Book review of Robert D. Kaplan's An Empire Wilderness: travels into America’s Future (1998), New York, Alfred A. Knopf (1999).
2. Müller, L.F., 1999. ‘Slaven in de familie’, Roest nr.1. Book review of Edward Ball’s Slaves in the family. Amsterdam: Arena.
3. Various publications of interviews with ministers/politicians and book reviews in Demo: Magazine of the Young Democrats (1997-1999).

Contact Information