Panentheism and Concepts of God in African Traditional Religions - A Third-Wave Proposal

This book refutes the use of any shade of modified monotheism for describing African spirituality and religious practices. Contemporary scholarships that attempt to rebut what was poor, and biased portrayal of African spirituality, by colonial discourses offered very little improvement primarily because they do not realise where the propaganda lies – Abrahamic monotheisms versus non-Abrahamic monotheisms. This oversight is redolent in John Mbiti, Bolaji Idowu, John Bewaji, Thaddeus Metz, Motsamai Molefe, and Kirk Lougheed who exerted much commerce on making African spirituality an appendage to Abrahamic monotheisms.
Drawing on ritual practices and spiritual knowledge of six distinct Afro-religious cultures: Kemet, Yorùbá, Anlo-Ewe, Igbo, Akan, and Shona, the book settles for panentheism – a non-Abrahamic monotheism as the most accurate concept for African religions. With the evidences unpacked, the book brings the debate on the concept for African religions to an end. Ultimately, it challenges the dominant narratives and suggests the use of thick descriptions via ethnography for engaging with African religiosity.
Emmanuel Ofuasia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy, LAUTECH University, Nigeria.  He is also a Decoloniality Research Associate at the Department of Philosophy, University of Pretoria, South Africa. 
“This book makes a significant contribution to the philosophy of religion by rethinking how African Traditional Religions are best understood. Moving beyond the familiar categories of polytheism and monotheism, it advances panentheism as a more fitting framework and draws illuminating connections with process theology. Ofuasia provides an important step toward globalizing the philosophy of religion.” – Yujin Nagasawa, Professor of Philosophy and Kingfisher College Chair of the Philosophy of Religion and Ethics, University of Oklahoma, USA
“This book explores a wide range of ideas on God, with a style that rewards the author’s quest for novelty and authenticity in African thought…A good addition to the body of works in African philosophy of religion” – Hasskei Mohammed Majeed, ‎AHP Fellow, American Council of Learned Societies, ‎University of Ghana, Ghana.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Part 1: The Precise term for Describing African Traditional Religions: A Very Brief History.- Chapter 2. The Views of Sir Samuel Baker and Sir Richard Burton on Religious Cultures of Africa.- Chapter 3. Two Afro-Inspired Responses to the Concepts of God in Afro-Religious Cultures: The First Wave.- Chapter 4. Reinventing the Concepts of God in Afro-Religious Cultures: The Second Wave.- Part 2: Panentheism and the Third Wave Proposal on African Traditional Religions.- Chapter 5. Exorcising the Spell of Monotheism in ATRs Scholarships.- Chapter 6. African Traditional Religions and the Explanatory Powers of Panentheism.- Chapter 7. Panentheism and the nature of God in Some Afro-Religious Cultures.- Chapter 8. Panentheism and Afro-Religious Cultures in the Global Space of Philosophic-religious Discourses.- Chapter 9. Conclusion.

Über den Autor / die Autorin

Emmanuel Ofuasia received his PhD from Lagos State University in 2023. Before that he taught philosophy at the Philosophy Department of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), FCT Abuja, Nigeria. At the moment, he is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy, LAUTECH University, Nigeria. He is also a Research Associate at the Philosophy Department of University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. Although he specializes in Process Metaphysics and Philosophical Logic, his research also extends to African Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Arts, and Ifá Studies. He is well published in several international journal outlets of repute like Philosophia Africana, Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, Journal of Africana Religions, Filosofia Theoretica, International Journal of African Renaissance Studies - Multi-, Inter- and Transdisciplinarity, Journal of World Philosophies, History and Philosophy of Logic, South African Journal of Philosophy, Nigerian Journal of Philosophy, to name a few. In addition to publishing, Emmanuel Ofuasia is also a recipient of local and international grants from organizations and institutions such as: the English Language Support and Travel Bursary Award of the Global Philosophy of Religion Project led by Yujin Nagasawa as well as Culture and Animal Foundation (CAF).

Zusammenfassung

This book offers a bold re-examination of how African spirituality and religion are understood, challenging centuries of misrepresentation shaped by colonial and Abrahamic thought. It argues that describing African religions through any form of modified monotheism, whether “implicit,” “diffused,” or “accommodated”, distorts their true nature and philosophical depth. Critiquing both colonial and postcolonial scholarship, the author shows how figures such as John Mbiti, Bolaji Idowu, John Bewaji, Thaddeus Metz, Motsamai Molefe, and Kirk Lougheed remain confined by Abrahamic categories that obscure African metaphysical perspectives.
 
Drawing on the ritual systems and spiritual knowledge of six major Afro-religious traditions (Kemet, Yorùbá, Anlo-Ewe, Igbo, Akan, and Shona) the book advances panentheism, a non-Abrahamic monotheistic framework, as the most accurate model for understanding African religions. Combining philosophical analysis with ethnographic insight, it redefines the conceptual vocabulary for African religious scholarship, resolving long-standing debates and demonstrating the value of thick description for studying African religiosity. An original contribution to African philosophy, religious studies, and decolonial theory, this book reshapes how African spirituality is to be studied and understood.

Produktdetails

• Autoren: Emmanuel Ofuasia
• Verlag: Springer International Publishing
• Sprache: Englisch, Deutsch
• Produktform: Fester Einband
• Erscheint: 14.01.2026
• EAN: 9783032123947
• ISBN: 978-3-032-12394-7
• Seiten: 234
• Illustration: XXIV, 234 p. 3 illus. in color., farbige Illustrationen
• Themen: Geisteswissenschaften, Kunst, Musik > Religion/Theologie > Weitere Religionen; Philosophische Traditionen und Denkschulen, Intercultural Philosophy and Religious Traditions, process theology, Panentheism, African Religions, Monotheism, African traditional religion, African Divinity