Available From UC Press

City of 201 Gods

Ilé-Ifè in Time
Jacob Olupona
Jacob K. Olupona is Professor of African Religious Traditions, African, and African American Studies at Harvard University. He is the author of Kingship, Religion, and Rituals in a Nigerian Community: A Phenomenological Study of Ondo Yoruba Festivals and has edited several books, including Beyond Primitivism: Indigenous Religious Traditions and Modernity.
and the Imagination
“Olupona does a masterful job of interweaving historical detail, personal interviews and observations. Here, myth becomes lived reality, and one is forced to take pause and ask what and where indeed are the true powers that enable humans to inhabit the modern city.” —Charles H. Long, author of Significations: Signs, Symbols, and Images in the Interpretation of Religion

“This book is destined to be the authoritative source on one of the most important religious centers and one of the most fascinating ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa. This is a remarkable and engaging piece of research by a first-class scholar who knows his discipline and his native culture.”—Barry Hallen, author of The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful: Discourse About Values in Yoruba Culture