Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions (Religion and Society) [Hardcover]

Stephen D. Glazier (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 16, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0415922453 | ISBN-13: 978-0415922456 | Edition: 1

This important new reference covers African and African-American religion in sub-Saharan Africa, North America, South America, and the Caribbean, and provides vital insights into its growing worldwide influence in Europe, Asia and the South Pacific. Entries encompass individuals, concepts, specific religions, religious movements and churches, and include: Akan, Aladura, Azusa Street Mission, Black theology, candomble, Dominican vodun, the Harrist movement, Jamaa, Macumba, Mission des Noirs, Mt. Sinai Holy Church, Nuer, Pentecostalism, Pocomania, Santería, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Unification Church, Yoruba, and many more. Photos, illustrations, and source material round out the package.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This second volume in the Routledge Religion and Society series (The Encyclopedia of Millennialism and Millennial Movements was published last year [RBB D 1 00]) treats religious movements, churches, and the place of religion in African and African American societies. Special attention is given African-derived religion in many other countries-- Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica, and other points in the Black Diaspora, comprising some 20 percent of the articles.

Many of the articles are wide-ranging essays on such topics as Black theology, Spiritualism, Storefront churches, and Women and religious movements in sub-Saharan Africa; while others, such as Abyssinian Baptist Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and Rastafari, focus on specific religious groups. Information on beliefs, practices, and historical development is complemented by commentary on the political and social context of religious expression and institutions.

The 145 signed articles were written by more than 70 scholars from all over the world. Many of the contributors are anthropologists with a background in ethnographic research. A six-page bibliography is appended to supplement the bibliographies accompanying the articles. Given some of the assumptions and misinterpretations of the past study of African societies, a lengthy essay entitled "Anthropology of Religion in Africa: A Critique and Model" is appended as a cautionary note.

Sidebar extracts from primary sources are scattered through the volume: for example, quotes from Malcolm X and W. E. B. Du Bois, passages from the periodical Crisis, excerpts from spirituals and poetry. Illustrations, photos, and maps appear throughout, although they are not of particularly high quality.

There have been other major reference works published on African and African American religion and culture in the past decades. Two works, Encyclopedia of African American Religions (Garland, 1993) and Directory of African American Religious Bodies (2d ed., Howard University, 1995), are much stronger on some specifics of African American religious expression. The Garland title provides biographical entries on close to 800 African American religious leaders, and the Directory of African American Religious Bodies provides information on more than 1,000 organizations. However, neither of these earlier titles has much information on the African-derived religions of the African Diaspora outside of brief articles on voodoo and Rastafarianism. In addition, they have fewer essay-type articles. Other more general reference books, such as Africana (based on the Encarta Africana [Basic, 1999]), have a great deal of information on religious expression but perforce have not the space to treat these topics with much depth.

Of particular value in the title under review are the theoretical articles on concepts and religious practices central to understanding African and African American religions, as are the surveys of religion in regions or nations. A necessary addition to academic and larger public libraries. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Booklist/RBB Editor's Choice 2001

'A good starting point for understanding the complex interrelationships among African, African American, and European religious beliefs, practices, and traditions in a global context. Recommended for all libraries.' – Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (January 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415922453
• ISBN-13: 978-0415922456
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,864,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for all libraries, March 4, 2001

By 

Stephen D. Glazier (University of Nebraska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions (Religion and Society) (Hardcover)

This encyclopedia is a good starting point for understanding the complex interrelationships among African, African American, and European religious beliefs, practices, and traditions in a global context. Recommended for all libraries. Marc Meola in The Library Journal (December 2000).

4.0 out of 5 stars another world, February 16, 2002

By 

Theophanu (Hattiesburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions (Religion and Society) (Hardcover)

This encyclopedia is a beautiful production---well-illustrated, with fascinating little excerpts from contemporary accounts, religious writings, etc. It is also full of fascinating information about a wide swath of religious experience. Most of the articles are very well written; they average 2-5 pages in length, so issues are reasonably well developed. But the work is rather unbalanced. It has less about African religion (whether indigenous or syncretic) than I had hoped to see, and, most notably, endless repetitive entries about very similar African-derived religions in the Americas. The same explanations of Yoruba orisha, protection of African religion by adopting outward aspects of Catholicism, etc. appeared in too many articles.

5.0 out of 5 stars An A-to-Z encyclopedia, May 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions (Religion and Society) (Hardcover)

An A-to-Z encyclopedia containing some 150 entries discussing the religious movements and churches of Sub-Saharan Africa, including major indigenous religious such as those of the Zulu, Yoruba, Akan, and Nuer peoples; North America, including black churches within mainstream religions, African-American religions and churches, and associated institutions such as the Rainbow Coalition; and South America and the Caribbean, including major religions such as Rastafari, Santeria, and Vodou and the more localized Umbanda and Tambor de Mina. Also surveys African-derived religions in a number of other nations. Coverage includes the growing world-wide influence of African and African-American religions; general topics, practices, beliefs, and institutions such as music, material culture, deities, healing, slave religion, theology, and religious-based political movements. Entries are written by anthropologists, historians, religious scholars, sociologists, and others and include sometimes fuzzy but well-chosen b&w images.

Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)