• Find books, Bibles and more in our new Christian Books store.
  
  

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
A volume with unique articles....a rich sampling of religious expression.
–Choice, July 2001

A necessary addition to academic and larger public libraries.
–Booklist/RBB, May 1, 2001

This encyclopedia [is] the most comprehensive available on the history of African and African-American religions. Highly recommended for academic and medium to large public libraries.
–John Lawrence, Lawrence Looks at Books, April 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 (starred review), 12/15/00

This useful, single-volume guide to the religious movements of Africa, North and South America, and the Carribean covers more that 150 topics,ranging from Abyssinian Baptist Church to Zulu Religion.
–Library Journal, October 2003



See all Editorial Reviews

First Sentence:
Founded in 1808, the Abyssinian Baptist Church is the oldest black Baptist church in the state of New York and one of the most prominent and politically active congregations in the United State. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
orisha fundamentos, black spiritual churches, mainstream ministers, zar spirits, charismatic organizations, derived religions, hush harbors, zar cult, independent black churches, black theology, black religion, ancestral dead, spirit mediumship, regional cults, slave religion, spirit possession, lesser spirits Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, South Africa, Church of God, Father Divine, East Africa, African Americans, North America, Nation of Islam, Peace Mission, World Vision, South Carolina, Jesus Christ, West Indies, Puerto Rico, Martin Luther King, New Orleans, Roman Catholic, Church of Christ, Los Angeles, Elijah Muhammad, World War, Big Drum, Sierra Leone, African Orthodox Church, Puerto Rican New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Search Inside This Book: