Religion in Calabar: The Religious Life and History of a Nigerian Town (Religion and Society (de Gruyter)) (Religion & Society)

The series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems– both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series. Preface 7 Introduction 19 Part One: Historical Ethnography 35 Chapter One: Old Calabar 37 1.1 Background to Calabar 37 1.2 Traditional religion 45 Chapter Two: Missionary Beginnings 75 2.1 Introduction 75 2.2 Early Christian contacts 75 2.3 Early religious pluralization 93 2.4 Roman Catholic Mission 96 2.5 Wesleyan Methodists 97 2.6 Lutheran Church 98 2.7 Qua Iboe Mission 99 2.8 Presbyterian developments 99 Chapter Three: Religious Pluralization 113 3.1 Introduction 113 3.2 The heyday of Calabar: 1910-1929 113 3.3 The witchcraft scare: 1930-39 117 3.4 World War II and its effect on Calabar: 1940-1949 119 3.5 Political independence approaches: 1950-1959 121 3.6 Independence and civil war: 1960-1969 124 3.7 The post-civil war revival: 1970-1974 128 3.8 The “oil boom” churches: 1975-1979 130 3.9 Concluding remarks 135 Part Two: Contemporary Religion 151 Chapter Four: Non-Indigenous and Institutional Religion 153 4.1 Introduction 153 4.2 From mission to mainline churches - and after 153 4.3 Islam 159 4.4 Exogenous religious institutions 160 Chapter Five: Indigenous and Institutional Religion 197 5.1 Introduction 197 5.2 Traditional religion 197 5.3 Spiritual self-determination - the hallmark of the new churches 203 5.4 New trends and developments 215 5.5 Concluding remarks 221 Chapter Six: Institutional Distribution 233 6.1 The religious mapping of Calabar 233 6.2 Concluding remarks 250 Chapter Seven: Institutional Interaction 257 7.1 Interaction and interdependence 257 7.2 Conferences, councils and chaplaincies 257 7.3 Non-denominational revivals and crusades 260 7.4 The Bible and music as common denominators 263 7.5 Civic interaction 264 7.6 Negotiations and affiliations 265 7.7 Negative interaction 266 7.8 Concluding remarks 269 Chapter Eight: Popular Religion 275 8.1 Introduction 275 8.2 The human condition 279 8.3 “Why die in silence?” 285 8.4 Power and protection 287 8.5 Festivals 291 8.6 Freelance evangelism 293 8.7 Music 295 8.8 Spiritual experience 296 8.9 Names and mottoes 297 8.10 A kaleidoscope of religious activity 298 Chapter Nine: Religion in the Media 311 9.1 Introduction 311 9.2 Newspaper religion 312 9.3 Television religion 328 9.4 Radio religion 331 9.5 Concluding remarks 332 Chapter Ten: Unity in Diversity: Themes and Developments in Calabar Religion 343 10.1 Introduction 343 10.2 Religion as transformative power 344 10.3 Religion as sustaining force 348 10.4 Spiritualization 349 10.5 Institutionalization 351 10.6 Secularization 352 10.7 Privatization 354 10.8 Religious self-determination 356 10.9 Homogenization 363 10.10 Religious conversion and mobility 365 Conclusion 379 Appendix 1: Methods 387 Appendix 2: Chronology 393 Appendix 3: Data File on the Religious Institutions of Calabar 401 Bibliography 435 Primary Sources 435 Books and Articles Relating to Calabar 453 Comparative and Theoretical Works 467 Index 475 By Rosalind I.j. Hackett. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [417]-456.