Histories of Religious Thought and Practice in Africa

Name: Histories of Religious Thought and Practice in Africa
Price: 116.48 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9781847014160

Thematic Perspectives

Professor Louis Brenner

$145.95 $116.48

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

James Currey
17 December 2024

Comparative religion; History of religion; Islamic life & practice; Tribal religions; Folklore, myths & legends

Series: Religion in Transforming Africa

This book is a richly detailed comparative analysis of endogenous, Muslim, and Christian religious thought and practice in sub-Saharan Africa.

Organized thematically, the book presents a conceptual and analytical framework for the study of religious traditions as complex and constantly evolving social phenomena. The most salient theme in the book is how different religious traditions defined and provided for the personal and communal wellbeing of their adherents. Other major themes explore how religious traditions have influenced one another, how religious practitioners conceptualized and interacted with spiritual entities, how religious knowledge and expertise were acquired and transmitted, how rituals were organized and structured in order to achieve their aims, and how rituals affected those who performed them.

Additional topics analysed include the personalization of relationships with spiritual entities, the gendering of religious thought and practice, how personal transformative rituals were conceptualized and enacted with reference to stages of the life cycle, such as birth, marriage and death, and how suffering was seen as integral to the process of personal transformation.

Overall, the book engages with issues that continue to animate the study of religious thought and practice in Africa and African studies more generally.

By: Professor Louis Brenner
Imprint: James Currey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 639g
ISBN: 9781847014160
ISBN 10: 184701416X
Series: Religion in Transforming Africa
Pages: 380
Publication Date: 17 December 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction Part I. Religious concepts and concepts about 'religion' 1 Conceptualizing the 'religious' 2 'Translating' religious concepts Part II. Diversity within religious traditions 3 Diversity of religious thought: a West African example 4 Diversity of religious practice: an East African example Part III. Religious participation 5 Interacting with spiritual entities and spiritual forces 6 The dynamics of ritual performance 7 Ritual as transformance Part IV. Religious quests for wellbeing 8 'Probable' histories of an ancestral religious tradition: kubándwa mediumship in lacustrine eastern Africa 9 Initiatory healing associations 10 Religious healing in southern Africa 11 Muslim quests for wellbeing in West Africa Part V. Knowing and not knowing 12 Epistemologies Bibliography Filmography Index

LOUIS BRENNER is Emeritus Professor of the History of Religion in Africa at SOAS, University of London.