James exposes us to a world where truth is ephemeral, and where compassion, though frail, still bleeds through the grit and dust."--BOOK JACKET.

An abridged version of the 1937 an-thropological study of the Azande of the southern Sudan, the theoretical insights of which have proven increasingly influential among both anthropologists and others

"This work makes a much-needed contribution to teaching and learning about the various forms of religious belief and action in our world." - Kevin J. Christiano, University of Notre Dame

Divination is any ritual and its associated tradition performed in order to ask a more-than-human intelligence for guidance. A universal human practice, it has received surprisingly little academic attention. This interdisciplinary collection by leading scholars in the field is dedicated to fascinating new insights into divination and oracles arising from recent work in anthropology, religious studies, history and classical studies. Central importance is given to the practical and theoretical perspectives of diviners as well as scholars of divination; several contributors are both. This book explores philosophical issues such as the nature of divinatory intelligence, the relationship between divinatory and metaphorical truth, the primacy of ontology over epistemology, the importance of reflexivity in scholarly studies of divination, and astrology as the principal Western form of divination. The ethnographic and historical examples range from contemporary Nigeria, urban Cuba, Mayan Guatemala and the shamanic cultures of the circumpolar Arctic to classical Greece and ancient Judea.

Tshiremba, the great witchdoctor, has a ruthless scheme to subjugate the Zulus of kwaZulu — Natal to his own ends in the “New” South Africa. Dr. Philemon Thlabati, is a thorn in his side, and Tshiremba is not above using ancient witchcraft to destroy his enemies. But the life of Philemon Thlabati is also influenced by powerful forces; and centuries old Zulu stories foretell of a destiny that must be fulfilled. Philemon and his friends set out on a quest to solve the mystery of a lost tribe; and along the way they find adventure, unexpected romance, and the legacy of a princess. The setting for this tale is the beautiful rolling hills, mountains and rivers of Zululand, South Africa — Shaka Zulu’s former domain. There, an epic battle between good and evil is fought with clubs, spears and cunning; and by summoning the precocious spirits of the ancestors.

Few will dispute the profound influence that African American music and movement has had in American and world culture. Dancing Many Drums explores that influence through a groundbreaking collection of essays on African American dance history, theory, and practice. In so doing, it reevaluates "black" and "African American " as both racial and dance categories. Abundantly illustrated, the volume includes images of a wide variety of dance forms and performers, from ring shouts, vaudeville, and social dances to professional dance companies and Hollywood movie dancing. Bringing together issues of race, gender, politics, history, and dance, Dancing Many Drums ranges widely, including discussions of dance instruction songs, the blues aesthetic, and Katherine Dunham’s controversial ballet about lynching, Southland. In addition, there are two photo essays: the first on African dance in New York by noted dance photographer Mansa Mussa, and another on the 1934 "African opera," Kykunkor, or the Witch Woman.