Customer Reviews

Santeria from Africa to the New World: The Dead Sell Memories (Blacks in the Diaspora)

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I felt compelled to write in defense of George Brandon's scholarly work on Santeria after seeing it so absurdly misrepresented (...). Brandon is not under any misperceptions about the fact that Santeria emerged as a New World form of African Diasporan Religion. The book begins with an elaborate coverage of the African religious context from which Santeria and other African Diasporan Religions emerged via the transatlantic slave trade. While the title could be confusing to some, page 1 clarifies Brandon's stance that "Santeria belongs to the transatlantic tradition of the Yoruba religion...and should be seen as a variant of that religion." Brandon goes on to examine stages of Santeria's development in Cuba, taking into account religious, political, and economic influences. His book has thorough documentation from the most highly respected sources in African Diasporan Studies. If you are looking for a scholarly, though highly readable, historical overview of Santeria, this book can serve you well. It is not an unannotated, self-help book for Ifa or Santeria wannabes, so if you are looking for do-it-yourself-Santeria, look elsewhere. (...)

Brandon is an anthropologist looking at a very complex system of religions from historical and ethnographic perspectives. He is an insider-participant and a scholar but does not let the latter cloud his rigorous interpretation of Yoruba traditions. Read his chapter on the rise of Santeria in New York City - it was ground-breaking. This book is ONLY for intelligent readers who want to consider OTHER theoretical possibilities for viewing African-based religions in the diaspora.

Mr. Brandon writes about Santeria from the standpoint of an academic rather than a participant. He is not an initiate of the religion, and seemed to use many published sources that are known to be not accurate. In his description of the offerings made to Yemaya, a deity/Orisha, he has made important errors. Throughout the book are factual errors that show that either some of his informants gave him false information (perhaps on purpose--since the religion is still a secret maybe some of his informants were toying with him), or his informants did not know what they were talking about. Errors include details about rituals and the nature of certain deities. The book on the whole is really just a big literature review on Afro-Cuban religion. If you are conducting academic research you should ignore this book entirely. If you are just curious about Santeria you would be better off ignoring this book, and buying something by Joseph Murphy or Lydia Cabrerra.

If youre looking for a book on santeria and want some introductery material on the religion, this book is NOT for you. It is a heavey read, often confusing and is best suited for classroom/academic situations as opposed to reading for pleasure. While the author has done excellent research, it is the academic, not the practical, who will benefit from this text. Alot of it is also a bunch of mumbo jumbo.

The title should tell you that this book is written by someone who doesn't have a clue to what he is writing about. How can anybody write a book on a subject they are not well schooled or experienced in? Because they can? The bigger question is how can something like this even get published? Santeria became Santeria when the slaves cleverly blended Ifa with Catholicism,Congo religions, etc. Santeria did not exist in Africa. So the title beginning with, "Santeria, From Africa To...is proof alone this guys a goof. Gonzalez Wippler's books will provide a good understanding about this misunderstood religion. I recommend reading "The Way Of The Orisa", by Phillip Neimark. Bypass Santeria and go the the source and study the original religion of Ifa.