If}} Divination, Knowledge, Power, and Performance [Hardcover]

This landmark volume compiled by Jacob K. Olupona and Rowland O. Abiodun brings readers into the diverse world of If?its discourse, ways of thinking, and artistic expression as manifested throughout the Afro-Atlantic. Firmly rooting If? within African religious traditions, the essays consider If? and If? divination from the perspectives of philosophy, performance studies, and cultural studies. They also examine the sacred context, verbal art, and the interpretation of If? texts and philosophy. With essays from the most respected scholars in the field, the book makes a substantial contribution toward understanding If? and its role in contemporary Yoruba and diaspora cultures.

Jacob K. Olupona is Professor of African Religious Traditions at Harvard Divinity School and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. He is author ofCity of 201 Gods: Ile-Ife in Time, Space, and the Imaginationand editor ofOrisa Devotion as World Religion: The Globalization of Yoruba Religious Culture.

Rowland O. Abiodun is John C. Newton Professor of Art, the History of Art, and Black Studies at Amherst College. He is author ofYoruba Art and Language: Seeking the African in African ArtandWhat Follows Six is More than Seven: Understanding African Art.

If? Divination, Knowledge, Power, and Performance provides an invaluable glimpse into the richness of indigenous African spiritualities, even when they are transmitted into new geo-cultural environments as African-derived religiosities. . . . This book is a must read.

If? Divination, Knowledge, Power, and Performanceis a valuable addition to the scholarly literature on If?. The essays, with amazing depth and complexity, situate this practice and the religion it represents into a broader global context.

This is a rich book with diverse perspectives converging on Ifa divination as a complex knowledge system. It informs readers new to Ifa studielcµ