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Womb Wisdom to Cosmic Wisdom: Women and African Spiritualities in Africa and the Diaspora

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The Palgrave Handbook of African Women's Studies

Abstract

This chapter explores the contributions of five women to the philosophical and spiritual significance of the feminine through the lens of female biology. These women are Susanne Wenger, Ayele Kumari, Bello Olarinmoye, Tiara Kristine, and Nyornuwofia Agorsor, who have either immersed themselves in African spiritualities or are African-American or African but define themselves through either African cosmologies or a blend of African and non-African spiritualities.

The focus of the chapter is on African and African-American thought, defined in terms of either the cultural sources of the ideas discussed or the ethnic identities of the artists and thinkers in question, or both. The novel formulations developed by the women amplify the positive values of ancient conceptions, particularly from Nigeria’s Yoruba spirituality, and strive to eliminate the negative, as these culturally grounded perspectives intersect with spirituality in general.

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Adepoju, O.V. (2021). Womb Wisdom to Cosmic Wisdom: Women and African Spiritualities in Africa and the Diaspora. In: Yacob-Haliso, O., Falola, T. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of African Women's Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28099-4_40

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