Worlds of power : religious thought and political practice in Africa

The main aim of this study is to understand the ways in which religious thought has a bearing on actual political practices in Africa today. The book discusses a number of themes which are addressed in a logical sequence: religious ideas and their influence on people's thinking about the world and the nature of reality, oral sources and how to interpret them, communication with the spirit world, the role of secret societies in religion and politics, spirits and the ambivalence of power, religious and philosophical ideas about wealth and how to acquire it, morality and the lack of consensus about what forms of public behaviour are acceptable and which ones should be pursued, religion as a means of regulating change in both individuals and collectivities, and the implications of these strands of discussion for Africa in a global context. [ASC Leiden abstract]