A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF RELIGION ON COLLECTIVIST FAMILIES’ MEAL SOCIAL INTERACTION BEHAVIOUR IN SIERRA LEONE.

Abstract

The symbolism of religionin the Sierra Leonean collectivist society is encouraged to promote increased interdependency and social bonding among families that share similar beliefsystem. This beliefis further accentuated and translated at the dinner table when interacting socially at mealtimes. The concept of religion is very topical in the everyday lives of Sierra Leonean consumers/families, which largely determines their food purchase and consumption behaviour. This study critically evaluates the impact religion has on families and how it affects the way they interact socially at mealtimes. As a consequence, the paper elaborates and highlights the degree of influence Islam and Christianity have on the meal social interaction behaviour of families in Sierra Leone, which is considered as one of the prime factors responsible for the increased drive forcollectivism. The authors evaluated the scope of the influence of religion on families' meal consumption behaviour and provided a comparative analysis of its influence on different gender groups. Introduction:-Religion is predominantly a key influencer of most Sierra Leonean families' food consumption behaviour, especially those inclined to practice the Islamic faith. Despite the symbolism attached to religion by different social groups, it has evidently over the years been influenced by families' cultural values and traditional practices. As a consequence, the mixing up of families' spiritual practices with cultural and/or traditional practices have made it increasingly difficult for Sierra Leoneans, irrespective of their religious faith and conviction, to discern or draw a dividing line between the two (cultural values/traditional practices and spiritual belief). Religion has principally been advanced by many theorists, for example, Cohen and Varnum (2016); and Kassim and Zain (2016), as one of the key influencers of collectivism, as most individuals in such societies are heavily reliant on others or their community in shaping their own identity. Rozman (2014) argued that religion is promulgated in most collectivist societies to foster interdependence and promote group-orientation, which can be used to strengthen new and existing bond between and among people. Ji et al (2016) concluded that religion is one of the most important factors of collectivism, as it can be used to pacify and build harmonious relationship between and among individuals. It is evident from these perspectives and the findings of this study that religion in the Sierra Leonean context is used mainly for building social relationship between and among individuals, as a forum for learning and sharing ideas, a platform for enhancing interdependence,a domain for social integration and an avenue for fostering unity within communities.