African Religion is an important area of study for the historian of pan-African political thought. The transformation of traditional religions in the diaspora, their latency in contemporary African-Christian liturgy and theology, and the revitalisation of the study of African epistemology, all make African Religion an important area of study for any student of African political history.

Religion itself is often a politicised societal phenomenon, but it can also be used to further political campaigns, and of course political actors can have religious beliefs that inform their thought and action. Religion is particularly important in the context of pan-African thought because two religions of “foreign” origin – Islam and Christianity – have been at the forefront of the political transformation of pan-African political society in the modern era. In addition, the latent or collective “Africaness” often thought to bind “Africans” often consists of some sort of appeal to “tradition” which is often used as a synonym for the ideas and practices of “traditional religion”.

To understand African public life therefore requires an understanding of African religion, indigenous and otherwise.

Course

African Religion (Course)

Lessons

• Introduction to African Religion
• African Religion: Divine and Supreme Beings – Pantheons of Orisha and Lwa
• African Cosmology and Philosophy of Religion
• African Religion: Introduction to Divination and Spirit Possession
• African Religion: Episcopacies, Cults, and Shrines
• African Religion: Introduction to Moral Philosophy and the Agency of Deities

Public Lectures

• Introduction to African Religions
• A Political History of Haitian Vodou
• African Spiritual Practice and the Origins of the Zombie
• Africa’s Triple Religious Heritage

Articles

5 Reasons Why Africanist Scholars Should Study African Traditional Religion