African Folklore: An Encyclopedia [Hardcover]

Philip M. Peek (Editor), Kwesi Yankah (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 2003 | ISBN-10: 041593933X | ISBN-13: 978-0415939331 | Edition: 1

Written by an international team of experts, this is the first work of its kind to offer comprehensive coverage of folklore throughout the African continent. Over 350 entries provide in-depth examinations of individual African countries, ethnic groups, religious practices, artistic genres and numerous other concepts related to folklore. Featuring original field photographs, a comprehensive index, and thorough cross-references, African Folklore: An Encyclopedia is an indispensable resource for any library's folklore or African studies collection. Key Features : * Over 300 cross-referenced entries written by more than 150 scholars, including over 60 international contributors * Seven regional surveys including maps locating major ethnic groups * Introduction and commentary on every African nation * Numerous entries on the African Diaspora, with special emphasis on African-American arts and religion * Original field photographs * A detailed filmography of documentary films on Africa * A catalog of the complete African holdings of the Archives of Traditional Music at Indiana University * Includes a survey of African folklore collections and African Studies Libraries in the USA and Africa, as well as a list of folklore PhDs at U.S. universities David Adu-Amankwah, Indiana University, USA; Kofi Agawu, Princeton University, USA; Kofi Agovi; Ali Jimale Ahmed, Queens College and the City University of New York Graduat

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

More than 300 entries in African Folklore recognize "significant historical and cultural experiences" shared among the wide variety of African cultures, including the diaspora. This encyclopedia offers substantive (averaging about three pages) signed articles, each with references. Sample topics include Dreams, Films on African folklore, Metallurgy and folklore, and articles on oral communication types like jokes, riddles, tongue twisters, call-and-response, songs, theater, and more. There are also brief surveys of African countries. Entries reflect the editors' broad concept of folklore as artistic communication inclusive of a variety of expressive behaviors and communicating media and of folklore's existing "primarily to provide group identity and homogeneity." An extensive index and cross-references are helpful navigation aids in addition to the list of entries that begins the encyclopedia. Appendixes--"African Studies Centers and Libraries in the USA and Africa," a bibliography of the Field and Broadcast Sound Recording Collections at the Indiana University Archives of Traditional Music, a filmography, and a partial listing of dissertations and theses on African folklore at four U.S. universities--also add value. The list of contributors includes academic or other institutional affiliation for most of the 161 authors, who come from a variety of subject areas and countries.

The editors also have the backgrounds necessary for this publication. Peek has authored various ethnographic studies of African cultures, including divination, arts, and ceremonies, and has also compiled several bibliographies of African and African American recordings of music and oral data. Yankah has written about political life, language, and folklore in Ghana. Their current project matches Routledge's other folklore encyclopedias in format and depth: South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia [RBB Jl 03], Jan Harold Brunvand's American Folklore: An Encyclopedia (1996), and the forthcoming Jewish Folklore and the Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. African Folklore fits nicely in the gap between encyclopedias of Africa and encyclopedias of folklore, narrowing and sharpening the focus of each. There is no resource quite like this one. Highly recommended for academic and large public libraries. RBB
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Review

Provides in-depth coverage... Extensive cross-referencing and bibliographic references enhance the volume's usefulness... An excellent introduction to African folklore as well as a convenient resource for leading researchers to further study, this is highly recommended for academic and large public libraries with folklore collections. -- Library Journal
Fits nicely in the gap between encyclopedias of Africa and encyclopedias of folklore, narrowing and sharpening the focus of each. There is no resource quite like this one. Highly recommended for academic and large public libraries. -- Booklist/RBB
An extremely useful resource... This book provides easy access to information along with reliable resources. -- Pennsylvania School Librarians Association Best Reference Titles 2003
At the cutting edge of current folklore research... Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and higher. -- Choice
a representative coverage of folk culture for the whole continent... High quality... Thought-provoking introduction and entries... A welcome addition to the field... I recommend it highly. -- Reference & User Services Quarterly
This is an exceptionally well-researched and well-written volume... This title is highly recommended. -- American Reference Books Annual
There is a great deal of good in the encyclopedia, and it is potentially a valuable research tool for those who know little about folklore on the African continent, while also offering some refreshing moments for those who may consider themselves experts on the topic. I can recommend this book for its intended readership of undergraduate students, as well as postgraduates and professional Africanists who seek an authoritative update in their field. -- African Studies Review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 800 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (December 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 041593933X
• ISBN-13: 978-0415939331
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,189,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maude Southwell Wahlman was born in Manhatten, New York City, where she attended Friends Seminary School. She attended Friends Central High School in Philadelphia, then Rockford College, The University of Iowa, The University of Arizona, and received a BA in Art from Colorado College. She attended graduate school at Northwestern University, for an MA in Anthropology, and Yale University for a Ph.D. in Art History. She began her teaching career at the University of Mississippi, then was Chair of the Art Department at the University of Central Florida, and enjoyed a year as a Resident Research Scholar at the W.E.B. DuBois Center for Research on Black Culture at Harvard, before accepting a position as the Dorothy and Dale Thompson/Missouri Endowed Professor of Global Arts at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.