In pursuit of well-being Sexuality and religion among Ghanaian-Dutch and Somali-Dutch in the Netherlands

This anthropological study explores the pursuit of well-being among Somali-Dutch and Ghanaian-Dutch people residing in the Randstad area of the Netherlands. I examined how religion informs the practices and approaches of participants in their pursuit of sexual well-being. Moving beyond the unidimensional understanding of the role of religion as problematic regarding sexuality, I proposed looking at religious sensibilities to unravel the varied ways that religion informs people’s choices in multidimensional, non-exclusionary and at times contradictory ways. Similarly, I look beyond sexual health, a widely used term by medical professionals, and propose using the notion of sexual well-being to look at all aspects of people’s sexuality regarding medical, physical, emotional, mental, social and religious well-being or fulfilment by involving and studying various domains of religious sensibilities. Throughout this thesis and as the empirical chapters show that well-being should not be seen as a mere outcome but rather as a multidimensional process that also entails aspirations and strategies to overcome challenges and create fulfilment. In pursuit of people’s well-being and pointing to the domains of religious sensibilities, this thesis directs our attention to the processes of struggling, striving, (re)negotiating and (re)appropriating ideas and practices that help people achieve their well-being.