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Despite several decades of scholarship on African diasporic religion, Voodoo remains underexamined, and the few books published on the topic contain inaccuracies and outmoded arguments. In Voodoo: An African American Religion, Jeffrey E. Anderson presents a much-needed modern account of the faith as it existed in the Mississippi River valley from colonial times to the mid-twentieth century, when, he argues, it ceased to thrive as a living tradition.
Anderson provides a solid scholarly foundation for future work by systematizing the extant information on a religion that has long captured the popular imagination as it has simultaneously engendered fear and ridicule. His book stands as the most complete study of the faith yet produced and rests on more than two decades of research, utilizing primary source material alongside the author's own field studies in New Orleans, Haiti, Cuba, Senegal, Benin, Togo, and the Republic of Congo. The result serves as an enduring resource on Mississippi River valley Voodoo, Louisiana, and the greater African Diaspora.
Anderson provides a solid scholarly foundation for future work by systematizing the extant information on a religion that has long captured the popular imagination as it has simultaneously engendered fear and ridicule. His book stands as the most complete study of the faith yet produced and rests on more than two decades of research, utilizing primary source material alongside the author's own field studies in New Orleans, Haiti, Cuba, Senegal, Benin, Togo, and the Republic of Congo. The result serves as an enduring resource on Mississippi River valley Voodoo, Louisiana, and the greater African Diaspora.
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Reviews
"From Voodoo's beginnings in the colonial period to the religion's current manifestations, Anderson uses rich storytelling and the complicated life histories of people, places, and otherworldly beings to change how we think about the magical history of the African Atlantic."
Timothy R. Landry, author of Vodún: Secrecy and the Search for Divine Power
"From Voodoo queens to hoodoo magic, Jeffrey E. Anderson's Voodoo is a meticulously researched and wide-ranging investigation of the religion's historical trends, cultural influences, and ritual life. It is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding Voodoo's relationship to the faiths of the African Diaspora, as well as what makes Mississippi River valley Voodoo unique."
Douglas J. Falen, author of African Science: Witchcraft, Vodun, and Healing in Southern Be