If}} Divination, Knoledge, Poer, 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.

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 studies, challenges experts to question their presuppositions, and does all this with multidisciplinary acuity.

Edited by two distinguished exponents of African religions, this is a formidable book that will stand the test of time by all conventional standards of evaluation given its cogency, in-depth research methodologies, variety of sophisticated interdisciplinary approaches, and scholarly interrogations.

Foreword / His Royal Highness Oba Okunade Sijuade Olubuse II
Preface / Jacob K. Olupona and Rowland O. Abiodun
Introduction / Jacob K. Olupona and Rowland O. Abiodun with Niyi Afolabi
Part I. If? Orature: Its Interpretation and Translation
1. Ayajo as If? in Mythical and Sacred Contexts / Ayo Opefeyitimi
2. Continuity and Change in the Verbal, Artistic, Ritualistic, and Performance Traditions of If? Divination / W?nd? Ab?mb?l?
3. Recasting If?: Historicity and Recursive Recollection lÓg