Mapping Eastleigh for Christian-Muslim Relations

Can Christian-Muslim relations be better understood and even interfaith conflicts resolved if Christians and Muslims joined together in an existential and phenomenological engagement with common spatiality? To answer this question, 12 Christian students from St. Paul's University, Limuru, Kenya and 12 Muslim students from Eastleigh, Nairobi mapped the 12 streets of Eastleigh, a sprawling Nairobi suburb largely populated by Somali Muslims. The mapping method in the above exercise was phenomenological, that is, mapping spatiality as a 'lived experience' and interpreting spatial observations in light of individual and group existential experiences. The result of the mapping exercise was a radical transformation both in the Mappers' own self-perceptions as well as their perceptions of Christian- Muslim relations. The seven chapters in this unique book look at the above finding from different perspectives, both Christian and Muslim.