Gesture and Power Religion, Nationalism, and Everyday Performance in Congo

"This is a study of religious dynamism, as people update earlier symbolic behavior to seek fulfillment in ever-changing circumstances. Attention to west-central African dance histories and evocative descriptions of the author's participation in performance events enrich the study, with a chapter on 'dancing disorder' during the dictatorial days of Mobutu Sese Seko among the book's strongest contributions to humanistic Africanist literature. . . . Highly recommended. All academic levels/libraries."
- A. F. Roberts (Choice) "Gesture and Power is an extraordinary work. . . . [It] provides serious and fertile historical and ethnographic material and offers a solid methodological format and an insightful perspective on African embodied politics and religious practices in both the past and the present." - Annalisa Butticci (Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute) "[Covington-Ward's] attention to the microdynamics of gesture brings the study of rite and ritual into the domain of the evetyday and highlights the profundity of common acts as makers of religious and political meaning. In doing so, she raises questions about position and positionality that are pertinent beyond the powerful dynamics of religion and politics in Congo." - Emma Wild-Wood (Church History) "A tremendous amount of labor went into this study and the end product is a compelling, engaging, intelligent, and enjoyable text, a fine scholarly contribution to the literature on religion in Central Africa. Small wonder thus that the book is adorned with glowing endorsements on the back cover by such distinguished anthropologists of African religion as Paul Stoller and Bennetta Jules-Rosette." - Terry Rey (Religion) "A fine blend of Congo's colonial history, an impressive page of Cultural anthropology, an introduction to African body/performance studies, and a crisp work on sociology of religion. . . . One of the finest works on ethnography given its style of description, rich theoretical background, and methodology." - Adfer Rashid Shah (African Studies Quarterly)