Women in Yoruba Religions - (Women in Religions) by Oyèrónké Oládémọ (Paperback)

About the Book

"Discusses the influence of Yoruba culture on women's religious lives and leadership in religions practiced by Yoruba people, covering themes like Yoruba women in Yoruba religion, Christianity, and Islam; women in African-derived religions in the diaspora; Yoruba religion and globalization; and LGBTQ adherents of Yoruba religion."--

Book Synopsis

Uncovers the influence of Yoruba culture on women's religious lives and leadership in religions practiced by Yoruba people

Women in Yoruba Religions examines the profound influence of Yoruba culture in Yoruba religion, Christianity, Islam, and Afro-Diasporic religions such as Santeria and Candomblé, placing gender relations in historical and social contexts. While the coming of Christianity and Islam to Yorubaland has posed significant challenges to Yoruba gender relations by propagating patriarchal gender roles, the resources within Yoruba culture have enabled women to contest the full acceptance of those new norms.

Oyeronke Olademo asserts that Yoruba women attain and wield agency in family and society through their economic and religious roles, and Yoruba operate within a system of gender balance, so that neither of the sexes can be subsumed in the other. Olademo utilizes historical and phenomenological methods, incorporating impressive data from interviews and participant-observation, showing how religion is at the core of Yoruba lived experiences and is intricately bound up in all sectors of daily life in Yorubaland and abroad in the diaspora.

Review Quotes

"Very rich in detailed information, with an abundance of material"-- "Religious Studies Review"

"Women in Yorùbá Religions provides a clear foundation for discussing issues of gender, religion, and power relationships outside of the usual cases addressed in introductory-level undergraduate classes."-- "Journal of the American Academy of Religion"

"Oyèrónké Olademo's Women in Yoruba Religions is a welcome and needed addition to the field of Yoruba religious studies, and African religious studies more broadly, as it takes seriously women's roles and representations within Yoruba religious communities."-- "Reading Religion"

"The book... concludes that Yoruba women have always made a way for themselves in spite of challenges of male domination in the religious space, and in spite of globalization and modernity, women have continued to evolve and play even increasing roles as Yoruba religion is being practiced abroad and also foreign religions are been practiced in Yorubaland."-- "Indigenous Religious Traditions"

"Professor Oyeronke Olademo has indeed brought her wealth of knowledge and experience to bear in writing this book...[T]his book will be of great value to students and scholars of Comparative religious studies, lovers of comparative religion and anyone interested in the role of women in the development of religion and in this regard. I recommend the book to all and sundry."--Babatunji Abayomi Omotara "Nigerian Tribune"

"A major introductory text to anybody interested in Yoruba women and their role in the people's religious belief systems. The scholarship of the book is of top quality, providing a comprehensive, holistic sense of the role of women in the Yoruba religious sphere."--Akintunde Akinyemi, Professor of Yoruba and Chair of Department, University of Florida

"Beautifully illustrates how women have--and have always had--a significant role in Yoruba culture and religion, both in its continental and diasporic manifestations."--Funlayo E. Wood-Menzies, African and Diasporic Religious Studies Association

"Featuring impressive ethnographic material, Women in Yoruba Religions illustrates how Yoruba women brought their active agency into Christianity, Islam, and contemporary forms of traditional religion."--Mei Mei Sanford, the College of William and Mary

"Oládémo notes the tremendous agency of women in Yoruba religion, and she shows the considerable impact they have--impact, she argues, tied to such variables as the economy. The author also examines the forces that shaped women's various roles--colonialism, capitalism, and globalization--highlighting major historical phases."--T. O. Falola, University of Texas "CHOICE"

"Significantly captures the relevance of Yoruba women involved in not only the religious activities but also the political and socio-economic dynamics of their communities. Without any doubts whatsoever, this book will greatly contribute to its primary field of religion and associated fields of history, African studies, sociology, and anthropology."--Ibigbolade Aderibigbe, University of Georgia

About the Author

Oyèrónké Oládémọ is Professor of Comparative Religious Studies, Department of Religions, University of Ilorin, Nigeria. She is the author of Women in the Yoruba Religious Sphere.