Announcing a New Book
The Invention of God in Indigenous Societies by James L. Cox,
University of Edinburgh.
Published by Acumen Publishing, Durham, England
http://www.acumenpublishing.co.uk/display.asp?K=e2013051516492706&dtspan=180:420&sort=sort_date/d&m=49&dc=100http://www.acumenpublishing.co.uk/display.asp?K=e2013051516492706&dtspan=180:420&sort=sort_date/d&m=49&dc=100
From the Back Cover of the book:
Indigenous societies around the world have been historically
disparaged by European explorers, colonial officials and Christian
missionaries. Nowhere was this more evident than in early descriptions
of indigenous religions as savage, primitive, superstitious and
fetishistic. Later, both indigenous and colonial liberal intellectuals
argued that, before indigenous peoples ever encountered Europeans,they
all believed in a Supreme Being. This book refutes both approaches
arguing that the interests of indigenous societies are best served
by carefully describing their religious beliefs and practices using
historical and phenomenological methods, just as would be done in the
study of any world religion. The discussion is illustrated with a
wealth of case material from indigenous peoples in North America,
Africa and Australasia: the Shona of Zimbabwe, the "Rainbow Spirit
Theology" in Australia, the Yupiit of Alaska and the Maori of New
Zealand.
Available in Paperback
Flyer attached
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