Authors
Casimir Ndubuisi Osigwe
Department of Religion and Human Relations
Faculty of Arts
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
Orcid ID: 0009-0009-2039-1209
+2348039463270
cn.osigwe@unizik.edu.ng
Kenechi Nnaemeka Afunugo
Department of Religion and Human Relations
Faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
ORCID ID: 0009-0003-0794-9331
+2348037514378 nk.afunugo@unizik.edu.ng
Abstract
This study examines the role of sacred narratives in
fostering cultural resilience within contemporary
Nigeria, a society fragmented by ethno-religious conflict,
violent extremism, and digital polarisation. While
existing scholarship has largely prioritised political
economy and security concerns, insufficient attention
has been given to the religious humanities as a resource
for sustaining moral order and communal identity amid
persistent instability. This study addresses this gap by
advancing a narrative-based account of cultural
resilience, drawing on Paul Ricoeur’s narrative
hermeneutics to analyse sacred texts, oral traditions,
folktales, liturgies, and prophetic discourses across historical and contemporary contexts. Adopting Igbo
cultural and religious narratives as an illustrative case,
the study employs a qualitative methodology based on
personal communication (informal qualitative
interviews) with selected religious actors and the critical
engagement of extant literature, including theological
writings, sermons, hymns, and archival materials.
Thematic and interpretive analysis indicates that sacred
and cultural narratives function as moral frameworks
that reinforce communal solidarity, shape ethical
subjectivity, and sustain adaptive hope under conditions
of social fragmentation. These narratives also facilitate
the internalisation of shared norms that regulate
behaviour and orient individuals towards collective
responsibility. However, the findings further indicate
that when politicised, such narratives may intensify
exclusionary identities and deepen social divisions. The
study therefore contributes to religious studies and
conflict scholarship by reframing cultural resilience as a
narratively mediated process. It recommends
strengthening interreligious literacy, integrating narrative
approaches into peace education, and promoting
responsible theological engagement in the public sphere,
and concludes that the religious humanities remain a
critical resource for cultural renewal and national
cohesion in fragile and pluralistic societies.
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