September 30, 2025

Divergences, Paradoxes, and the Decolonial Possibilities of Pneumatic Christianity

Key Points

Homewood's book highlights sexual encounters with demons as a form of resistance in Ghanaian Pentecostalism, contributing to broader insights on spirituality.
Field notes from Spain and Guinea-Bissau shed light on disagreement and dissent within Christian communities, showcasing diverse perspectives.
The analysis emphasizes 'rebellious divergences', provoking critical conversations around Homewood's ethnographic methods and interpretations.
The exploration raises critical questions about the decolonial possibilities within contemporary Christian practices and their implications for local beliefs.

Abstract

Abstract Nathanael J. Homewood’s book Seductive Spirits investigates unconventional yet widely spread believers’ sexual encounters with demons in the ritual landscape of Ghanaian Pentecostalism. In the book, Homewood celebrates Black resistance to Christian deliverance practices and explores the decolonial possibilities of sexual engagements with nonhuman actors, demonic forces, and other spiritual beings. This article discusses Homewood’s work in conjunction with our ethnographic material collected in Spain and Guinea-Bissau among some local Christian communities. Comparison of field notes aims to bring ideas about distance, disagreement, and dissent within Christian communities to the forefront. Our ethnographic experiences and analytical emphasis on what we have called “rebellious divergences” lead us to praise but also critically interrogate Homewood’s ethnographic approach.

Connected Papers

Building similarity graph...

Analyzing shared references across papers

Discussion

Journals

Journal of Africana Religions

Institutions

University of Oxford

References and Citations

Add This Paper to Your Research Feed

Any time a new paper drops it will be there.