Beyond Primitivism: Indigenous Religious Traditions and Modernity

Jacob Kẹhinde Olupona

Psychology Press, 2004 - Civilization, Modern - 348 pages

What role do indigenous religions play in today's world? Beyond Primitivism is a complete appraisal of indigenous religions - faiths integrally connected to the cultures in which they originate, as distinct from global religions of conversion - as practised across America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific today. At a time when local traditions across the world are colliding with global culture, it explores the future of indigenous faiths as they encounter modernity and globalization. Beyond Primitivism argues that indigenous religions are not irrelevant in modern society, but are dynamic, progressive forces of continuing vitality and influence. Including essays on Haitian vodou, Korean shamanism and the Sri Lankan 'Wild Man', the contributors reveal the relevance of native religions to millions of believers worldwide, challenging the perception that indigenous faiths are vanishing from the face of the globe.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Do Jews make good Protestants? The crosscultural study of ritual: 23
• Can we move beyond primitivism? On recovering the indigenes: 37
• Friedrich Max Müller indigenous: 71
• some reflections from: 89
• resistance and change: 99
• Tribal religious traditions are constantly devalued in Western: 111
• concealed narratives: 128
• religious and other: 149
• New Yorks Haitian: 164
• Understanding sacrifice and sanctity in Benin indigenous: 181
• unmasking the neoarchaic: 200
• Popular religions and modernity in Japan: 214
• a view from: 245
• representations of the wild man in Sri Lanka: 272
• Melanesians and the cargo: 297
• Thinking and teaching with the indigenous traditions of Melanesia: 314
• Index: 343

Bibliographic information

• Title: Beyond Primitivism: Indigenous Religious Traditions and Modernity
• Editor: Jacob Kẹhinde Olupona
• Edition: illustrated, annotated
• Publisher: Psychology Press, 2004
• ISBN: 0415273196, 9780415273190
• Length: 348 pages