Africanist Anthropology Has a Lot to Offer

In this article I consider the ways in which shrine building, adornment, and the resulting experience of secrecy that emanates from shrines supports the building of new transnational networks and diasporas that are beginning to encourage a conceptual expansion of the African-Atlantic world. To achieve this I focus on how strategic choices in ritual flexibility and experimentation in shrine-building work to support the transnationalization of religions such as Vodún as they move from space to space, and how the religion's material culture and repertoire re-localize as social and national spaces shift. In so doing, I argue that processes of secrecy, which in Vodún are typically tethered to religious objects such as shrines, encourage -instead of restrict -the global expansion of West African religions.

Time and Mind, 2011

The artwork on the cover of this book is not open access and falls under traditional copyright provisions; it cannot be reproduced in any way without written permission of the artists and their agents. The cover can be displayed as a complete cover image for the purposes of publicizing this work, but the artwork cannot be extracted from the context of the cover of this specific work without breaching the artist's copyright.

2015

This study is about the upsurge in the activities of the agents of more than one indigenous religious tradition (IRT) in contemporary Ghana. We concern ourselves with two case studies. These are the neo-and the old indigenous religious agents represented by two major shrines. The two shrines, headed by a priest and priestess, both claim to be rooted in indigenous Akan Dedication To my son Jayden-Rafael Kofi Dwomor Asubonteng and husband Kofi Ababio Dwomor Asubonteng iii Acknowledgement In writing this thesis, a number of people have guided, inspired as well as supported me all the way, though I cannot individually capture everyone who has been of help, I would like to show gratitude to certain people. I am indebted to Prof. (em.) Ulrich Berner, my supervisor, who first accepted to work with me in 2009 before I even secured admission into BIGSAS. Secondly, I extend my profound gratitude to Prof. Afe Adogame for informing me about the University of Bayreuth and actually introducing me to Prof. Berner. Thanks for your mentorship. Dr. Magnus Ecthler has, since my arrival to Bayreuth, been my mentor. He helped in shaping the work from beginning to end and I am most grateful for his invaluable assistance. I also, express my thanks to Prof. Christine Gudorf, Prof. Albert Wuaku, Dr. Franz Kogelmann, Prof. Umar Danfulani and Dr. Ukah Asonzeh for their priceless inputs in my work. My family have been home praying for my success and I appreciate their efforts. My late father Mr. A.A.K Nrenzah wanted me to have this PhD so much-thanks for pushing me daddy, I am grateful and hope you are proud wherever you may be now. Many thanks to mum, Elizabeth Acquah, Uncle Randolf Acquah, my siblings and friends in BIGSAS. I wish to thank Nana Kwaku Bonsam, Kↄmfo Oforiwaa and her husband Paa Sarbah, members and clients of both shrines and the entire community that volunteered information. Finally, to the good people of Germany and BIGSAS team whose vision has made this achievement possible, every dawn when you hear the roaster crow, it's my family and I saying thank you. iv Glossary Agorↄ-"gorↄ" literally means to drum or to play. On the IRTs terrene it means a gathering of priests and priestesses to play publically. Akↄm-"kↄm" means being possessed or dancing. In this sense it signifies the gathering of priest and priestesses at the indigenous religious state levels for the purposes of exhibiting potent spiritual power.

E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 2023

Human communities have measures and schemes which are intended to control the social behaviour of its members. In traditional societies, the belief in the potency of supernatural beings helps to enforce social norms and values, which translate into social order within a given community. In most traditional societies including Ghana, religion plays an important role in the lives of the people, some of which include ensuring order in the society. In Ghana, the indigenous religious values, norms, customs, as well as certain practices help in the enforcement of order in various communities. The deities as well as the ancestors play key roles in ensuring order in the community by, dispensing swift justice and punishing culprits. Using a qualitative approach specifically purposive sampling, the study reveals that there are indigenous mechanisms used by Ŋuveh to ensure social order in the community, which are grouped into oath swearing, hexing, trial by ordeals, and taboos that are enshrined in their prohibitions and sanctions. The study concludes that the traditional religious means of social control is effective in ensuring social order. Thus, the study proposes that traditional authorities need to be empowered to function side-by-side with the formal control system to maintain order in their communities and Ghana at large. This paper contributes to religion and social control.

2019

A shrine is a building or place that is hallowed, venerated or deeply respected. It is generally associated with divinities or deities where sacrifices or offerings are made to them. Their devotees often meet there, interact with each other and consult with the priests of the divinities. There is an element of mystery and awe associated with every shrine. Non devotees have little or no business at a shrine, while the devotees themselves have to be very careful and observe various laws while a shrine. Shrines are common in Calabar, and its environs in Nigeria. There is virtually none, dedicated to the Supreme Being, rather they are dedicated to local, deities and secret cults, where a lot of social activities are performed. One of such cult is the Ekpe society shrine which has both social and religious aspects and implications. This paper examines the social significance and implications of the Ekpe shrines in Calabar, and suggests ways in which they could be utilized for the benefit...

Journal of Religion in Africa , 2018

2021

The Mrtvalj spring is an integral part of a more complex sacred landscape, the center of which is the Shrine of St. John the Baptist located in Podmilačje near Jajce, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The shrine is a multi-confessional pilgrimage destination that is also very popular within the wider region. The Mrtvalj spring is one of the key stops in pilgrimage itineraries, but it is not only a sacred place within pilgrimage practices. In this paper the conceptualization of the Mrtvalj spring's sacredness is examined as a reflection of the relationship between the religious and the political. The author analyzes the relationship between the shrine's politics, which are based on the ideas of a "Bosnian Lourdes" and a shared shrine, and the spring as a focal point for the shared non-institutional practices of believers of various religious affiliations. She aims to show that a shared sacred site does not necessarily have to be controversial, and calls for a revalorization of non-institutional religiosity, which has proved to be a rich phenomenon for the study of interreligious relations.

Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, 2018

Religious shrines and temples are functional, "marked off," dynamic spaces that play deeply significant, central, and versatile roles in the lived realities of a variety of modern religious communities all over the world. From Hindu, Buddhist, and Catholic to Shinto, Sufi, and contemporary Pagan, the material cultures that are visible within these spaces speak volumes about that which people do, e.g. the things that they create, their cultural identities, accepted notions of value, and overall, their lived religious traditions. Yet while some notable academic focus has been placed on altar/shrine aesthetics, as well as how displayed arrangements work "like a language," the active, generative, relational power-making dynamics that occur when devotees ritually maintain, work with, utilize, and create the material cultures on display in shrines/ temples have been somewhat overlooked. 1 This paper emphasises such dynamic engagements. It uses ethnographic data collected over a ten year period (2007-2017) at a Catholic Marian shrine dedicated to the Virgin of Alcala de los Gazules in Andalusia, Spain to explore the working relationships that take place between devotees and two specific religious statues, the offerings they receive, and the actual architectural shrine body itself. With a theoretical focus that employs "new" approaches to animism, the concept of "personhood," 2 and the critically re-imagined fetish, 3

2008

, where she defended her PhD thesis in 2006 on the veneration of saints in Croatian popular religion. Her research interests are contemporary pilgrimages, non-institutional processes of the sacralization of places and religious pluralism. Her list of publications includes articles in edited volumes and national and international journals. She is currently developing a research project on Medjugorje (Bosnia-Herzegovina).

Granthaalayah Publications and Printers, 2024

Culture is a broad-spectrum term commonly used to identify habits of a heterogeneous social groups which develop in a specific geographic location. It is evidently reflected through the various art practices, be it visual or performing arts, or artifacts created by the artisans. They have become an integral part of the cultural ethos. India is a country rich in such diverse treasure of cultural practices through art. Artisans have also migrated beyond their original geographical boundaries to diversify the reach of the art. It is an important cultural asset which helps to preserve the culture and heritage of a community or the skill-sets of the artisans. Our ancestors have been preserving this culture of storytelling through the art forms which show a perspective of life. They also contribute to the livelihood of the craftsmen, thus contributing to the economy of the country. There is beauty in promoting cultural diversity; people learn new skills from other cultural groups and encourage innovation through various art forms and designs. In the contemporary era of technology, modernization and globalization, the traditional art forms are fading away. Sustainability of these valuable these art forms is a concern today. Purposes and functionality of these art practices have also diversified. The study creates new objectives through cultural diversity and designing new products for sustainable development in art and design. The article discusses some aspects of technological intervention in these art practices that can help sustain these heritages. Thus diversification of media, purpose and an involvement of the young generation can help to preserve the social cultural ethos of our country.