Introduction: Orienting Africana Religious Studies—East African and Indian Ocean Perspectives

Abstract

Abstract:Presuming that such themes as diaspora and migration pertain to Africana peoples of the Indian Ocean world no less than they do to those of the better-known Atlantic, this special issue opens the study of Africana religions to an expanded geographic range and the insights that come with such an expansion. This introductory essay clarifies the special issue's rationale, sketches the relevant historical and geographic contexts, and proposes three analytic frames through which to assess the interventions made by the contributors. The value and variety of those interventions underscore the importance, if not necessity, of taking a truly global approach to Africana religious studies.