Contemporary Perspectives on Religions in Africa and the African Diaspora

This collection brings together essays that explore the nature and scope of African and African diaspora religions and their relevance in a globalized world. Building on the work of early scholars such as Bolaji Idowu, John Mbiti, and others, the researchers gathered here investigate African Indigenous Religion both in its own context and in its contacts and competitive interactions with other world religions, such as Christianity, Islam, and, Asian-derived religions. The scholarly voices in this volume engage the history of slavery and contemporary forms of transplantation and migration in order to address religious adaptation and contemporary issues, like health care and ecology. The book focuses on the shaping of the life of Africans inside and outside the continent. The contributors also delve into the shaping of identity in the face of global realities, detailing adaptive and creative religious practices and dynamics that emerge from ongoing contact and cultural change.

Carolyn M. Jones Medine is Professor of Religion and member of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Georgia, USA. She is the co-author, with John Randolph LeBlanc, of Ancient and Modern Religion and Politics: Negotiating Transitive Spaces and Hybrid Identities and of numerous articles. She was the American Academy of Religion Teacher of the Year in 2013 and currently holds the General Sandy Beaver Teaching Professorship at the University of Georgia, USA.

Ibigbolade S. Aderibigbe is Associate Professor of Religion and African Studies at the University of Georgia, USA. His main fields of instruction and research are African Religions in Africa and African Diasporas. He has authored, co-authored, and co-edited a number of books. The latest are: Continental Complexities: A Multidisciplinary Introduction to Africa (Revised Edition) and Religious Thoughts in Perspective: Introduction to Concepts, Approaches and Traditions.