Product details
Publisher : University of Wisconsin Press
Publication date : July 21, 2026
Language : English
Print length : 420 pages
ISBN-10 : 0299357104
ISBN-13 : 978-0299357108
Dimensions : 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
Table of Contents
Preface
Note on Translation
Introduction: Cosmologies in Global Historical Context
1. Ẹlẹ́bùibọn: The Preternatural Voyage of a Mystic
2. Being: The Immaterial Beginning
3. Human Actions and Destiny
4. Sacrifices and Sacred Communications
5. The Invisible Hands
6. Ọbàtálá and His Children: Constructing a Functional Society
7. Ọ̀rúnmìlà and Akápò: Conflict Management and Resolution in Ifá
8. Inclusivity and Gender in Ifá
9. Sacredness in the World
10. Àśę: The Performative Force of Ìwúre
11. Ẹlẹ́bùibọn: Ifa Epistemologies and Yoruba Cosmologies
Conclusion: Ẹlẹ́bùibọn and Cosmologies in Contemporary Society
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
Book Description
Born in 1947, Ifáyẹmí Ọ̀ṣúndàgbonù Ẹlẹ́buìbọn descends from a long line of Yorùbá healers, philosophers, and priests. A fervent disciple of Ifá from age four, Ẹlẹ́buìbọn grew to become both a living moral exemplar and an internationally recognized face of his religion. The first scholarly work to connect the biography of a devout Ifá practitioner to broader intellectual conversations around pluriversalism and Indigenous knowledge systems, Ifá Priestcraft analyzes the complexities of Yorùbá philosophy and religion and their lasting cultural impact in Nigeria and throughout the diaspora. Toyin Falola, a world-renowned scholar of African studies, employs a phenomenological approach that recognizes and solidifies the voice of the “guru” as an organic and authentic source of knowledge. The result is a wholly original and uniquely interdisciplinary study of Yorùbá spirituality and an extraordinary contribution to the field of ancestral studies.
Reviews
“A lavish invitation to discover Yorùbá cosmology through the lens of Ifá, a spiritual system of knowledge and divination. Falola offers critical insights into Yorùbá spirituality and cultural continuity—essential for scholars of African studies and diaspora histories.”
— Akinloye Ojo, University of Georgia
“Falola explains the complexity, profundity, and relevance of the Ifá divination system through the lens of a great philosopher-priest of Yorùbá traditional religion. This is a major work that will change how scholars understand African indigenous philosophy.”
— Nimi Wariboko, Boston University
About the Author
Toyin Falola is a Distinguished Teaching Professor and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin. Falola is the author or editor of more than 150 books on African history, politics, and society. He is the recipient of twenty-eight honorary doctorates from around the world, as well as more than forty lifetime achievement awards.
