Ashe, Traditional Religion and Healing in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Diaspora

This bibliography is the most comprehensive available on the subject of African and Afro-American traditional religion and healing. By covering works from 1760 to the present, this bibliography offers not only the most up-to-date information on the subject, but also the most complete bibliographic survey of Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latin religious traditions yet compiled. Consequently, researchers will be able to begin to develop an understanding of one of the most important cultural components of the rapidly growing Caribbean population in the United States.

Nearly 6,000 entries on all aspects of the black religious heritage cite, in seven different languages, the broadest range of media possible, e.g. films, videos, books, dissertations, unpublished papers, and periodical and newspaper articles. Included are sections on art, music, dance, and theatre, as well as a selected list of works on related topics such as trance and spirit possession, comparative religion, and glossolalia. Created with the researcher in mind, Ashe is divided into such general categories as regional studies, ethnic group studies, and a number of more specialized subject categories. This reference work will also offer a key to those interested in understanding the tremendous growth of African-derived religious traditions in South America and their long-range sociopolitical ramifications. For students and scholars of Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Afro-America, whether they be anthropologists, sociologists, health care workers, ethnomusicologists, or historians, this bibliography offers a much needed resource guide to one of the most vital facets of black world culture.

JOHN GRAY is a cultural historian specializing in Black culture. He is the author ofBlacks in Classical Music (Greenwood Press, 1988) and has contributed articles toCadence and Coda.