Deep Knowledge: Ways of Knowing in Sufism and Ifa, Two West African Intellectual Traditions (Africana Religions)

Ogunnaike, Oludamini

ISBN 10: 0271086912 / ISBN 13: 9780271086910

Published by Penn State University Press, 2021

Book is considered to be in acceptable condition. The actual cover image may not match the stock photo. Book may have one or more of the following defects: noticeable wear on the cover dust jacket or spine; curved, dog eared or creased page s ; writing or highlighting inside or on the edges; sticker s or other adhesive on cover; CD DVD may not be included; and book may be a former library copy. Seller Inventory # SEWV.0271086912.A

Synopsis:

This book is an in-depth, comparative study of two of the most popular and influential intellectual and spiritual traditions of West Africa: Tijani Sufism and Ifa. Employing a unique methodological approach that thinks with and from―rather than merely about―these traditions, Oludamini Ogunnaike argues that they contain sophisticated epistemologies that provide practitioners with a comprehensive worldview and a way of crafting a meaningful life.

Using theories belonging to the traditions themselves as well as contemporary oral and textual sources, Ogunnaike examines how both Sufism and Ifa answer the questions of what knowledge is, how it is acquired, and how it is verified. Or, more simply: What do you know? How did you come to know it? How do you know that you know? After analyzing Ifa and Sufism separately and on their own terms, the book compares them to each other and to certain features of academic theories of knowledge. By analyzing Sufism from the perspective of Ifa, Ifa from the perspective of Sufism, and the contemporary academy from the perspective of both, this book invites scholars to inhabit these seemingly “foreign” intellectual traditions as valid and viable perspectives on knowledge, metaphysics, psychology, and ritual practice.

Unprecedented and innovative, Deep Knowledge makes a significant contribution to cross-cultural philosophy, African philosophy, religious studies, and Islamic studies. Its singular approach advances our understanding of the philosophical bases underlying these two African traditions and lays the groundwork for future study.

About the Author: Oludamini Ogunnaike is Assistant Professor of African Religious Thought and Democracy at the University of Virginia.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Deep Knowledge: Ways of Knowing in Sufism ...
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Publication Date: 2021
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: acceptable