This article examines the diffusion of Iranian state ideology in sub-Saharan Africa (1990–2024), conceptualizing ideology as a strategic tool of foreign policy through constructivist and soft power perspectives. Comparing Nigeria and Senegal, it builds a relational model of ideological diffusion focused on five mechanisms: projection, circulation, reception, adaptation, and securitization. The study frames these mechanisms through the concept of the neo-Imamate—a transnational Shiʿi authority configuration uniting religious legitimacy, revolutionary ideology, and institutional networks. Iranian Shiʿi-inspired ideology yields different results based on domestic structures. In Nigeria, diffusion results in politicized mobilization and securitization, while in Senegal, it leads to localized adaptation and limited securitization. The article grounds African agency in observable processes of appropriation, reinterpretation, institutional mediation, and resistance within specific local contexts.
Limbu et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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