African Science
Download and Read African Science full books in PDF, ePUB, and Kindle. Read online free African Science ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!
African Science
Author | : Douglas J. Falen |
Publisher | : University of Wisconsin Press |
Total Pages | : 249 |
Release | : 2018-11-27 |
Genre | : Social Science |
ISBN | : 0299318907 |
Download African Science Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle
In this sensitive and personal investigation into Benin's occult world, Douglas J. Falen wrestles with the challenges of encountering a reality in which magic, science, and the Vodun religion converge into a single universal force. He takes seriously his Beninese interlocutors' insistence that the indigenous phenomenon known as àze ("witchcraft") is an African science, credited with fantastic and productive deeds, such as teleportation and supernatural healing. Although the Beninese understanding of àze reflects positive scientific properties in its use of specialized knowledge to harness nature's energy and realize economic success, its boundless power is inherently ambivalent because it can corrupt its users, who dispense death and destruction. Witches and healers are equivalent to supervillains and superheroes, locked in epic battles over malevolent and benevolent human desires. Beninese people's discourse about such mystical confrontations expresses a philosophy of moral duality and cosmic balance. Falen demonstrates how a deep engagement with another lived reality opens our minds and contributes to understanding across cultural difference.
African Science Related Books
Pages: 249
Pages: 218
Pages: 220
Pages: 289
Pages: 257