Ancient African Religions: A History

— —

Robert M. Baum (Professor of African and African American Studies, Professor of African and African American Studies, Dartmouth College)

Ancient African Religions

A History

Robert M. Baum (Professor of African and African American Studies, Professor of African and African American Studies, Dartmouth College)

$229.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press Inc
01 January 2025

History of religion; Ancient religions & mythologies; Tribal religions

Scholars have sometimes maintained that the study of the history of African religions is an impossible endeavor. Some have contended that African religions do not have a history unto themselves, apart from their interaction with the newer religious traditions of Islam and Christianity. Others concede that such a history exists, but believe the source materials are insufficient to reconstruct such a history. This book speaks directly to these critics. The history of African religions becomes in many ways like a pentathlon, expecting the scholar who conducts such research to work with written texts, to learn African languages, to live within a community where these religious traditions are practiced, to study material culture, both sacred and mundane, and a variety of archaeological sources from tree rings to stone circles and gravesites. By relying on the existing corpus of written texts, oral traditions, linguistic analyses, descriptions based on participant observation, and various types of archaeology, Robert M. Baum demonstrates that African religious history is nearly as old as humanity itself. Baum has spent his entire academic career focused on the historical study of African religious traditions, as far back as accessible sources will permit. This volume traces the history of African religions beginning with early hominids and their ritual and burial sites through ancient Egypt, North and Northeast Africa, and Africa south of the Sahara from the Fourth Millennium BCE to the birth of Islam in the Seventh Century.

By: Robert M. Baum (Professor of African and African American Studies Professor of African and African American Studies Dartmouth College)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 576g
ISBN: 9780197747070
ISBN 10: 0197747078
Pages: 314
Publication Date: 01 January 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Robert M. Baum chairs the Department of African and African American Studies and is a professor in that department and the Department of Religion at Dartmouth College. He is the author of two other books, the award-winning Shrines of the Slave Trade: Diola Religon and Society in Precolonial Senegambia and West Africa's Women of God: Alinesitoue and the Diola Prophetic Tradition. He served as Executive Editor of the Journal of Religion in Africa for six years.

Reviews for Ancient African Religions: A History

This ambitious, continent-wide investigation into African religious history from the beginning of time is written in an accessible and engaging manner and can be enjoyed by the novice and expert alike. Baum's dataset and methodology are remarkable. He draws on a treasure-trove of sources-archaeological, linguistic, and oral, tree rings, grave sites, rock art, rituals--to put to rest cynical views about the persistence of indigenous African religions following the institution of 'a hegemonic Christian tradition.' Ancient African Religions is the first of its kind. * Nwando Achebe, Jack and Margaret Sweet Endowed Professor of History, Michigan State University *