Masquerading Politics

John Thabiti Willis is Associate Professor of African History at Carleton College. He is an associate editor of the Journal of West African History.

• AcknowledgementsIntroduction1. The Early History of Otta and the Origins of Egungun and Gelede2. "Children" and "Wives" in the Politics of the Oyo Empire during the Era of the Atlantic Slave Trade3. The Emergence of New Warriors, Wards, and Masquerades: The Otta Kingdom during the Era of Imperial Collapse4. "A Thing to Govern the Town": Gendered Masquerades and the Politics of the Chiefs and the Monarchy in the Rebuilding of a Town, 1848–18595. Wives, Warriors, and Masks: Kinship, Gender, and Ethnicity in Otta, 1871–1928Conclusion: Egungun and Gelede at Otta TodayBibliographyIndex

"[This]book as a whole stands as a major achievement not only in Yoruba history and historical anthropology, but in recent historiographic trends using ritual institutions and performances as primary historical sources. It will have a major impact in Yoruba studies, and in the study of West African history more generally. Willis should be commended for penetrating a complex and socially guarded ritual resource to glean the hidden histories manifested therein."—African Studies Review"Willis's work should be a must-read for students and established scholars alike."—Africa"John Thabiti Willis cites oral traditions, archival sources, and publications to draw attention to the link between economic development and spectacular and historically influential masquerade performances."—Babatunde Lawal, author of The Gelede Spectacle"Important in its emphasis on the history of an art form and its specific cultural context; of interest to academic audiences as well as general readers."—Henry Drewal, editor of Sacred Waters