Spirit Possession, Modernity and Power in Africa by Luig, Ute

ISBN: 9780852552582

James Currey, 16 December 1999

Paperback 192 pages

'The articles in this book make valuable contributions to the literature of African religious experience. The majority of the pieces are based on research conducted in the last 10 to 15 years, and are therefore positioned to document changes taking place across the continent as possession beliefs and practices respond to new circumstances and address the shifting local implications of an increasingly global socio-economy. Gender, ethnicity, and class are rightly presented as intersecting forces and features of spirit phenomena. The case studies presented are richly contextualized: history, social organization and upheaval, alternative religious options where applicable - all are considered relevant to an understanding of possession forms.' - Janice Boddy, University of Toronto North America: University of Wisconsin Press; Uganda: Fountain Publishers

Editorial Reviews

Review
Spirits and spirit possession are common in African public life, as is witchcraft. Yet this is an area to which political and social scientists as well as economists pay scant attention ... highly recommended to those who are not familiar with the subject, or who may still doubt its importance ...The merit of this volume is that the various country studies are presented in a manner that makes them comparable. - Patrick Chabal in INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Every article in the volume is full of necessary historical, political and economic information, enabling the reader to see how truly nuanced and dense the ethnographies are upon which the pieces are based...this is a very worthy scholarly project, and one that should have wide appeal to those interested in indigenous and external religious practices on the continent of Africa. - Misty L. Bastian in JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY AFRICA