West Africa's women of God : Alinesitoué and the Diola prophetic tradition / Robert M. Baum.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Baum, Robert M., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Diola (African people)--Religion.

Diola (African people).

Women prophets--Senegal.

Women prophets.

Prophecy--Political aspects--Senegal.

Prophecy.

Prophecy--Social aspects--Senegal.

Diatta, Aline Sitoe.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (316 p.)

Place of Publication:

Bloomington, Indiana ; Indianapolis, [Indiana] : Indiana University Press, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

West Africa's Women of God examines the history of direct revelation from Emitai, the Supreme Being, which has been central to the Diola religion from before European colonization to the present day. Robert M. Baum charts the evolution of this movement from its origins as an exclusively male tradition to one that is largely female. He traces the response of Diola to the distinct challenges presented by conquest, colonial rule, and the post-colonial era. Looking specifically at the work of the most famous Diola woman prophet, Alinesitoué, Baum addresses the history of prophecy in West Africa and its impact on colonialism, the development of local religious traditions, and the role of women in religious communities.

Contents:

Prophets, gender, and religious change among the Diola of Senegambia

The Diola: an ethnographic introduction

Koonjaen, Felupe, and Diola prophets in precolonial Senegambia

Women prophets, colonization, and the creation of community shrines of Emitai, 1890-1913

Prophetism at the peak of colonial rule, 1914-1939

Alinesitoue Diatta and the crisis of the war years, 1939-1944

The prophetic teachings of Alinesitoue, her successors, and a contested Diola prophetic tradition.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780253017918

0253017912

OCLC:

923809551