West Africa's Women of God: Alinesitoué and the Diola Prophetic Tradition

by Robert M. Baum

Publisher:

Indiana University Press

, 2021

Overview

West Africa’s Women of God examines the history of direct revelation from Emitai, the Supreme Being, which has been central to the Diola religion from before European colonization to the present day. Robert M. Baum charts the evolution of this movement from its origins as an exclusively male tradition to one that is largely female. He traces the response of Diola to the distinct challenges presented by conquest, colonial rule, and the post-colonial era. Looking specifically at the work of the most famous Diola woman prophet, Alinesitoué, Baum addresses the history of prophecy in West Africa and its impact on colonialism, the development of local religious traditions, and the role of women in religious communities.

Praise for West Africa's Women of God

This is a superb book and an important contribution to the literature on African religion.

Nova Religio

Product Details

• Title: West Africa's Women of God: Alinesitoué and the Diola Prophetic Tradition
• Author: Robert M. Baum
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Pages: 316
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9780253017918, 9780253017888, 0253017882, 0253017912
• Resource ID: LLS:9780253017918
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T19:24:22Z

About the Author

Robert M. Baum is Associate Professor of African and African American Studies and Religion at Dartmouth College. He is author of Shrines of the Slave Trade: Diola Religion and Society in Precolonial Senegambia.