210 books match the query 'African Studies' and 2 start with y

cover of Yorùbá Metaphysics: Spirituality and Supernaturality

Yorùbá Metaphysics

Spirituality and Supernaturality

Toyin Falola

Ohio University Press, 2025

Yorùbá Metaphysics challenges Western dominance in the field of epistemology and sheds light on the sophisticated realm of indigenous African knowledge systems and metaphysical thought. Toyin Falola comprehensively explores the complex interplay between the physical and spiritual worlds as understood by the Yorùbá people, offering a fresh perspective on metaphysics, spirituality, and the societal roles these elements play in African communities. The book contributes to the fields of philosophy, religious studies, and African studies by revealing how indigenous epistemologies can inform broader discussions of metaphysics, ethics, and societal development that are outside the Western frame of thought. Each of the book’s fifteen chapters focuses on a distinct aspect of Yorùbá life and cosmology. Topics encompass the everyday consequences of spiritual beliefs on social interactions and community living as well as the philosophical foundations that inform these practices. Noteworthy discussions include the function of language in conveying metaphysical knowledge, the societal impact of esoteric beliefs, and the application of these traditional understandings to contemporary life challenges. This work not only elucidates the nuances of Yorùbá metaphysical thought but also promotes the integration of this knowledge into broader academic and practical settings to advance societal development and sustainability. As global discourse increasingly seeks to acknowledge and incorporate diverse viewpoints, this book provides essential insights into the workings of an African metaphysical philosophy and its relevance to both regional and international concerns. Falola urges the academic community to reconsider the value and role of indigenous knowledge systems in present-day education and policy formation. This work is vital for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners interested in cultural studies, philosophy, religious studies, and African studies. It is not merely a scholarly work; it is an appeal for a reassessment of the methods by which indigenous knowledge is viewed and applied on an international scale.

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cover of Your History with Me: The Films of Penny Siopis

Your History with Me

The Films of Penny Siopis

Sarah Nuttall, editor

Duke University Press, 2024

Penny Siopis is internationally acclaimed for her pathbreaking paintings and installations. Your History with Me is a comprehensive study of her short films, which have put her at the front ranks of contemporary artist-filmmakers. Siopis uses found footage to create short video essays that function as densely encrypted accounts of historical time and memory that touch on the cryptic and visceral elements of gender and power. The critics, scholars, curators, artists, and filmmakers in this volume examine her films in relation to subjects ranging from the history of Greeks in South Africa, trauma and cultural memory, and her relationship with the French New Wave to her feminist-inflected articulations of form and content and how her films comment on apartheid. They also highlight her global South perspective to articulate a mode of filmmaking highly responsive to histories of violence, displacement, and migration as well as pleasure, joy, and renewal. The essays, which are paired with vivid stills from Siopis’s films throughout, collectively widen the understanding of Siopis’s oeuvre. Opening new vocabularies of thought for engaging with her films, this volume outlines how her work remakes the possibilities of film as a mode of experimentation and intervention.

Contributors. John Akomfrah, Sinazo Chiya, Mark Gevisser, Pumla Dineo Gqola, Katerina Gregos, Brenda Hollweg, William Kentridge, Achille Mbembe, Sarah Nuttall, Griselda Pollock, Laura Rascaroli, Zineb Sedira, Penny Siopis, Hedley Twidle, Zoé Whitley
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