Spirit, Structure, and Flesh: Gendered Experiences in African Instituted Churches Among the Yoruba of Nigeria - Couverture souple

University Of Wisconsin Press

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0299229149 ISBN 13 : 9780299229146

Editeur : University of Wisconsin Press, 2010

Synopsis

Although popularized in Africa by Western missionaries, the Christian faith as practiced by Africans has acquired unique traits over time. Some of the most radical reinterpretations of Christianity are offered by those churches known as "AICs" (variously, African Initiated, African Instituted, or African Independent Churches)--new denominations founded by Africans skeptical of dogma offered by mainstream churches with roots in European empires. As these churches spread throughout the African diaspora, they have brought with them distinct practices relating to gender. Such practices range from the expectation that women avoid holy objects and sites during menstruation to the maintenance of church structures in which both men and women may be ordained and assigned the same duties and responsibilities. How does having a female body affect one's experience of indigenized Christianity in Africa? Spirit, Structure, and Flesh addresses this question by exploring the ways ritual, symbol, and dogma circumscribe, constrain, and liberate women in AICs. Through detailed description of worship and doctrine, as well as careful analyses of church history and organizational processes, Deidre Helen Crumbley explores gendered experiences of faith and power in three Nigerian indigenous AICs, demonstrating the roles of women in the day-to-day life of these churches.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Deidre Helen Crumbley is associate professor of Africana studies at North Carolina State University, where she teaches courses on African civilization, religions, and diaspora.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: University of Wisconsin Press
• Date d'édition: 2010
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0299229149
• ISBN 13: 9780299229146
• Reliure: Broché
• Numéro d'édition: 1
• Nombre de pages: 200
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible