How can we account for the growth of Pentecostal churches in Africa?

Task:

Write a 1500 word response to one of the essay questions.

Word limit: 1500

Value: 25%

1. How do conceptions of death and/or post-death impact upon the living?

Discuss the impact on ritual practice by drawing upon a case study of a

religious group.

2. View an ethnographic film depicting the religious practices of a community.

How does the film depict the members and explain the principles and

practices? Compare the film with written texts (book/s and journal articles

written by anthropologists) about this same community. Evaluate the

comparative advantages and disadvantages of these representations in

advancing our knowledge.

3. Suffering (individual, collective, physical, symbolic…) is an important idea in

many religions. Discuss how suffering is understood and practiced ritually

within a religious group.

4. How can we account for the growth of Pentecostal churches in Africa? Select a

country as your case study and identify reasons for its local appeal and

describe the localised interpretation of Pentecostalism.

2

5. Are witchcraft and religion separate domains of thought and action? How can

witchcraft and religion coexist within a community? Answer by drawing upon

ethnographic material and assessing the use of emic and etic concepts.

6. What is the relationship between prayer and magic spells? Consider how

deities and how the power of words and actions are understood by two

different communities.

7. How is it that some healing practices are considered more rational than

others? Discuss by considering debates engaged in by anthropologists.

8. How useful is it for us to categorise raves (dance parties) or adventure travel as

spiritual quests? Discuss the conceptual tools available to anthropologists for

describing such experiences.

9. Is there reason to consider the witchcraft of the Songhay and that of the

‘modern girl’ as belonging to the same category of behaviour? Is the contrast

between the social environments too great? Discuss by drawing upon case

study material and by considering the conceptual tools used by

anthropologists.

10. In what ways do bodily adornments (such as dreadlocks, tattoos, henna,

beards…) have significance? Discuss by drawing upon a case study of a religious

group.