West Africa's Women of God

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.

• Acknowledgments 1. Prophets, Gender, and Religious Change among the Diola of Senegambia 2. The Diola: An Ethnographic Introduction 3. Koonjaen, Felupe, and Diola Prophets in Precolonial Senegambia 4. Women Prophets, Colonization, and the Creation of Community Shrines of Emitai, 1890–1913 5. Prophetism at the Peak of Colonial Rule, 1914–1939 6. Alinesitoué Diatta and the Crisis of the War Years, 1939–1944 7. The Prophetic Teachings of Alinesitoué, Her Successors, and a Contested Diola Prophetic Tradition Conclusion Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

"This is a superb book and an important contribution to the literature on African religion."—Nova Religio"This book importantly demonstrates that a religious system oriented around female prophets emerged among the rice cultivators of Senegambia. Baum's claim that it is a uniquely West African tradition will hopefully inspire others to explore similar practices of messianic revelation along the Guinea Coast."—Journal of African History"A masterful and meticulous study of religious history."—African Studies Review"The whole of West Africa's Women of God represents an exceptional and long-awaited monograph. The quality of Baum's research and writing alike solidify this book as a tour de force that sets an exceedingly high standard for scholars to follow."—Religious Studies Review"[T]his intelligibly constructed and well-structured book will be useful to scholars of African religions, cultural anthropologists, and theologians alike. The field of African religious studies would certainly diminish without its contributions."—Reading Religion (JAAR)"Baum (African and African American studies and religion, Dartmouth) focuses on the history of women prophets who came into prominence after WW I with the increasing oversight of French colonial officials. Highly recommended."—Choice"A masterful book that explores a little known part of Africa and makes it the showcase for transformative changes involving colonial agents, local subjects, religious narratives, and unpredictable outcomes."—Bruce Lawrence, author of The Qur'an: A Biography"West Africa's Women of God is an important intervention in scholarship on African religious traditions, women's movements in West Africa, and histories and cultures of Diola peoples."—Journal of West African History