Overview

Focusing on the three leading religious traditions in Africa (African Traditional Religion, Islam, and Christianity), this book shows how belief in the supremacy of sacred words compels actions and influences practices in contemporary Africa. ""Sacred words” are taken to mean holy texts as in divination, the Quran and the Bible. Toyin Falola evaluates how religious leaders engage with sacred words, both orals and texts, engendering practices that reveal the expression of religious beliefs, the impact of those beliefs, and the knowledge contained in them. Attention is given to the key ideas in the words chosen by religious leaders, and how they form a continuous knowledge system, impacting the politics of managing society and people.

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9781350271982

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Reviews

This book is an excellent resource on how religious practices and beliefs engender knowledge systems in Africa. Toyin Falola makes the crucial point that we cannot adequately comprehend contemporary African politics and socio-economic events if we do not understand the continent's history of religion and religious production of knowledge. The book's magisterial sweep and comprehensive coverage of the religions and religion-based knowledge systems in Africa are remarkable. The author delivers his findings, analyses, and historical details in very accessible prose. --Nimi Wariboko, Walter G. Muelder Professor of Social Ethics, Boston University, USA Toyin Falola's success in delineating the intersections between 'sacred' text and 'profane' politics once more confirms his attested commitment to African epistemic liberation. This will engender a new engagement among scholars in regard to secular knowledge as derived from African and Africanized religions. We shall long be in his debt. --Amidu Sanni, Vice Chancellor, Fountain University, Nigeria African Spirituality, Politics and Knowledge Systems is thoroughly researched, logical in argument progression, and deeply engaging in its clear narrative. This is a book of lasting value and relevance to those interested in religions in Africa. --Ibigbolade S. Aderibigbe, Professor of Religion and Associate Director African Studies Institute, University of Georgia, USA

Author Information

Toyin Falola is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor of History and the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. He has served as the General Secretary of the Historical Society of Nigeria, the President of the African Studies Association, Vice-President of UNESCO Slave Route Project, and the Kluge Chair of the Countries and Cultures of the South, Library of Congress. He is a member of the Scholars’ Council, Kluge Center, and the Library of Congress. He has received over 30 lifetime career awards and 14 honorary doctorates.

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