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The Divine Names: A Mystical Theology of the Names of God in the Qurʾan (Library of Arabic Literature)
by ʿAfīf al-Dīn al-TilimsānīA Sufi scholar’s philosophical interpretation of the names of GodThe Divine Names is a philosophically sophisticated commentary on the names of God. Penned by the seventh-/thirteenth-century North African scholar and Sufi poet ʿAfīf al-Dīn al-Tilimsānī, The Divine Names expounds upon the one hundred and forty-six names of God that appear in the Qurʾan, including The All-Merciful, The Powerful, The First, and The Last. In his treatment of each divine name, al-Tilimsānī synthesizes and compares the views of three influential earlier authors, al-Bayhaqī, al-Ghazālī, and Ibn Barrajān.Al-Tilimsānī famously described his two teachers Ibn al-ʿArabī and al-Qūnawī as a “philosophizing mystic” and a “mysticizing philosopher,” respectively. Picking up their mantle, al-Tilimsānī merges mysticism and philosophy, combining the tenets of Akbarī Sufism with the technical language of Aristotelian, Neoplatonic, and Avicennan philosophy as he explains his logic in a rigorous and concise way. Unlike Ibn al-ʿArabī, his overarching concern is not to examine the names as correspondences between God and creation, but to demonstrate how the names overlap at every level of cosmic existence. The Divine Names shows how a broad range of competing theological and philosophical interpretations can all contain elements of the truth.An English-only edition.
Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating The Future Of Shari`a
by Abdullahi Ahmed Na ʻAbd Allāh NaʻīmWhat should be the place of Shari'a - Islamic religious law - in predominantly Muslim societies of the world? In this book, a Muslim scholar and human rights activist envisions a positive and sustainable role for Shari'a, based on a profound rethinking of the relationship between religion and the secular state in all societies.
The Adventure of Weak Theology: Reading the Work of John D. Caputo through Biographies and Events (SUNY series in Theology and Continental Thought)
by Štefan ŠtofaníkIn this distinctive exploration of John D. Caputo's work, Štefan Štofaník traces Caputo's journey of philosophical discovery from his earlier, more conventional academic writings to his later, almost confessional works of weak theology and his deep engagement with Derrida. Štofaník draws upon Caputo's life story to help explain sudden shifts in Caputo's thinking, offers intricate readings of philosophical passages that have all too often been taken for granted, and joins in Caputo's effort to find a theology that can be trusted and that does not rely upon dogmatic and hierarchical authority. At the same time, Štofaník subtly disagrees with aspects of Caputo's view and turns to the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry as a way to suggest that one cannot take leave of the tradition of theology as easily as Caputo thinks. At times, The Adventure of Weak Theology reads like a letter to Caputo, and Štofaník's own passion for theology, his deep understanding of Caputo's work, and his gift for writing makes this an immensely appealing book for both admirers and critics of Caputo.
Granularity: An Ontological Inquiry Into Justice and Holistic Education
by Şevket Benhür OralThis book presents an original exploration of philosophical questions pertaining to the ways we grasp the Absolute by bringing together the Buddhist notion of interpermeation of all phenomena into contemporary strains of thought in continental philosophy. This text introduces an ontological concept, granularity, deploying it to probe questions concerning the intersection of ontology, ethics, and education. A wide range of issues in metaphysics are covered—including being, nothingness, unity, plurality, truth, change, transformation, subjectivity, contradiction, coherence, potentiality—from the perspective of thinkers such as Hegel, Heidegger, Badiou, Meillassoux, Malabou, Žižek, and Harman. The text deploys granularity in arguing for an ethics of unconditional hospitality within education. This volume is intended for students and researchers working in the areas of philosophy of education, philosophy of religion, and continental philosophy.
Interreligiöse Hermeneutik in pluralen Gesellschaften: Begründungen, Herausforderungen, Chancen und Grenzen (Wiener Beiträge zur Islamforschung)
by Ibrahim Koçyiğit Şenol YağdıDie interreligiöse Hermeneutik erweist sich in einer von kultureller Vielfalt und religiöser Pluralität geprägten globalisierten Welt als unverzichtbar für den interreligiösen Diskurs. Sie bietet einen Rahmen für einen konstruktiven Dialog zwischen verschiedenen Glaubensrichtungen und ermöglicht den Brückenschlag zwischen unterschiedlichen religiösen Traditionen. Vor diesem Hintergrund leistet der vorliegende Sammelband zu theologischen und religionspädagogischen Begründungen einer interreligiösen Hermeneutik einen wichtigen Beitrag. Die Autor*innen reflektieren aus theologischer und philosophisch-hermeneutischer Perspektive und untersuchen verschiedene Aspekte, darunter interreligiöse Ansätze der Weltreligionen, theologische Grundlagen für den Dialog, die Ableitung einer interreligiösen Hermeneutik aus den heiligen Schriften und die Nutzung philosophisch-hermeneutischer Konzepte für die theologische Begründung des interreligiösen Dialogs. Diese kritische Reflexion und Weiterentwicklung einer pluralitätsfähigen Perspektive im interreligiösen Dialog trägt dazu bei, neue Wege für den theologischen Umgang mit religiöser Vielfalt zu eröffnen.
Islamic Religious Education in the Current Discourse: Empirical Insights in a Plural Society (Wiener Beiträge zur Islamforschung)
by Şenol YağdıThe volume presents the most current empirical research in the field of Islamic religious education. Its findings are an important contribution to the development of theory in Islamic religious education. The contributions address the challenges of Islamic religious education and professionalization research of Islamic religious education teachers and in a plural society.
Turkish Jews and their Diasporas: Entanglements and Separations (Modernity, Memory and Identity in South-East Europe)
by Kerem Öktem İpek Kocaömer YosmaoǧluThis book introduces the reader to the past and present of Jewish life in Turkey and to Turkish Jewish diaspora communities in Israel, Europe, Latin America and the United States. It surveys the history of Jews in the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic, examining the survival of Jewish communities during the dissolution of the empire and their emigration to America, Europe, and Israel. In the cases discussed, members of these communities often sought and seek close connections with Turkey, even if those ‘ties that bind’ are rarely reciprocated by Turkish governments. Contributors also explore Turkish Jewishness today, as it is lived in Israel and Turkey, and as found in ‘places of memory’ in many cities in Turkey, where Jews no longer exist today.
Making Modernity in the Islamic Mediterranean
by Marcus Milwright Peter Christensen Ünver Rüstem Gülru Çakmak Hala Auji Emily Neumeier Jessica Gerschultz Ashley Dimmig David J. RoxburghThe Islamic world's artistic traditions experienced profound transformation in the 19th century as rapidly developing technologies and globalizing markets ushered in drastic changes in technique, style, and content. Despite the importance and ingenuity of these developments, the 19th century remains a gap in the history of Islamic art. To fill this opening in art historical scholarship, Making Modernity in the Islamic Mediterranean charts transformations in image-making, architecture, and craft production in the Islamic world from Fez to Istanbul. Contributors focus on the shifting methods of production, reproduction, circulation, and exchange artists faced as they worked in fields such as photography, weaving, design, metalwork, ceramics, and even transportation. Covering a range of media and a wide geographical spread, Making Modernity in the Islamic Mediterranean reveals how 19th-century artists in the Middle East and North Africa reckoned with new tools, materials, and tastes from local perspectives.
Secular and Islamic Politics in Turkey: The Making of the Justice and Development Party (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics #6)
by Ümit CizreTurkey is ninty-nine per cent Muslim, its ruling party, Justice and Development Party (JDP), comes from but denies its Islamist pedigree and has a very secular feel. However, the deeply secular regime distrusts the JDP with regard to its 'true' colours. This book makes sense of these paradoxical perceptions which have characterized Turkey’s politics since the JDP has come to power in 2002. The key momentum for shaping the nature and trajectories of the ruling party of Turkey since 2002, the JDP, has been the ‘identity’ question. The JDP’s commitment to transform Turkey’s politics was part of its engagement to remake its own identity. The JDP’s adoption of a conservative-democrat identity has rested on a new understanding of Westernization, secularism, democracy and the role and relevance of Islam in politics. The book’s central problematic is to explain both the politics of change the JDP initiated and sustained in the first three years in office and the politics of retreat it has made from its reformist discourse since 2005. The book analyzes not just the catalysts for its reformist discourse of the first 3 years but tries to explain its reversal to an inward-looking conservative nationalist course. By approaching this topical debate from the conceptual stance rather than a party-centered approach, Ümit Cizre identifies that the change the JDP has initiated within Turkey’s political Islam and in Turkish politics is the product of an interactive process between many levels, actors, forces and historical periods. The forces and actors covered include: global forces of Islam the secular establishment and its popular extensions the past and present Islamic actors in political and non-political spheres the changing balance of forces in the region which frame the EU and the US policies toward the JDP. Secular and Islamic Politics in Turkey is a valuable contribution to the study of globalization and ‘change’ in contemporary political Islam, the relationship between religion and politics, and secularism and political Islam. As such, it will be of interest to students and researchers alike in the area of Islamic politics, democratization, European Union and political Islam, and globalization.
Religion - Kinder- und Jugendhilfe - Vielfalt: Auf dem Weg zu einer religionssensiblen Fachlichkeit (Soziale Arbeit als Wohlfahrtsproduktion #31)
by Karin Böllert Wolfgang Schröer Inga Selent Cynthia Kohring Özlem Özdemir-Şimşek Josefine FrankeDieses Open-Access-Buch rückt die Bedeutung von Religion(en) für die Praxis und die Theorie der Kinder- und Jugendhilfe in den Mittelpunkt und fragt danach, was eine religionssensible Fachlichkeit in der Sozialen Arbeit sein kann. Ein besonderes Augenmerk wird dabei auf die Positionen der jungen Menschen selbst gelegt. Zudem werden die empirischen Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojekts VielfaltNRW dargestellt und das Verhältnis von Religion und Sozialer Arbeit aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven diskutiert.
Islam, Marketing and Consumption: Critical Perspectives on the Intersections (Routledge Studies in Critical Marketing)
by Aliakbar Jafari Özlem SandikciIn recent years, a critically oriented sub-stream of research on Muslim consumers and businesses has begun to emerge. This scholarship, located both within and outside the marketing field, adopts a socio-culturally situated approach to Islam and investigates the complex and multifaceted intersections between Islam and markets. This book seeks to reflect various unheard and emerging critical voices from within the Muslim world, and provide a series of critical insights on how, if and why Islam matters to marketing theory and practice. It questions the existing assumptions and polarising discussions which underpin the portrayal of Islam as the ‘other’ of Modernity, while acknowledging that Muslims themselves are partially responsible for creating stereotyped representations of Islam and ‘the Muslim’. This wide-ranging and insightful collection will advance emerging critical perspectives, and provide new insights that will influence the generation and application of knowledge in the context of Muslim societies. It will open up fresh conversations for scholars in marketing as well as the broader humanities and social sciences.
Muslims, Money, and Democracy in Turkey: Reluctant Capitalists
by Özlem Madi-SismanThis book contextualizes the rise of a neo-Islamic Turkish bourgeoisie class with a particular reference to the relationship between Islam and Capitalism, and makes the argument for their ultimate compatibility . Additionally, the claim is made that the formation of this new socio-economic class has been detrimental to Turkey's efforts to consolidate its democracy. In order to analyze these processes, an Islamic-oriented young business group, Economic Entrepreneurship and Business Ethic Association (IGIAD), was taken as a case study. Drawing on fieldwork in examining IGIAD’S mission, vision, and activities, the book argues that such associations were born as a response to increasing tension between capitalism and Islam, with the aim of creating a ‘moral’ economy within global capitalism.
I Wonder About The Prophet
by Özkan ÖzeHave you ever wondered what the Prophet Muhammad believed before he became a prophet, why he is so important, or why he is praised so often? You might wonder how he treated animals and children or if he performed miracles. All of these questions, and many more, are explored inside.<P><P> Ozkan Oze was born in Turkey in 1974. While at high school, he started working at Zafer Magazine’s editorial office in Istanbul and discovered his love of literature and books. Since then he has gone on to become the editor of Zafer Publications Group.
Revisiting Secularism in Theory and Practice: Genealogy and Cases
by Seda Ünsar Özgür Ünal ErişThis book offers a philosophical and macro-historical analysis of secularism, supported by an investigation of various contemporary cases. Starting with an in-depth theoretical discussion of the meaning of secularism, it subsequently presents a historical study on the secularization of norms and identities in Europe. The respective case studies cover topics such as the epistemologies of secularism, liberalization and embedded secularism, the relationship between modernity and secularism, the socio-anthropology of secularism, Turkish modernization as a cultural revolution, the political economy of secularism in Turkey, and the secular rationale of the EU neighborhood policy.
Islam, Causality, and Freedom: From the Medieval to the Modern Era
by Özgür KocaIn this volume, Ozgur Koca offers a comprehensive survey of Islamic accounts of causality and freedom from the medieval to the modern era, as well as contemporary relevance. His book is an invitation for Muslims and non-Muslims to explore a rich, but largely forgotten, aspect of Islamic intellectual history. Here, he examines how key Muslim thinkers, such as Ibn Sina, Ghazali, Ibn Rushd, Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi, Jurjani, Mulla Sadra and Nursi, among others, conceptualized freedom in the created order as an extension of their perception of causality. Based on this examination, Koca identifies and explores some of the major currents in the debate on causality and freedom. He also discusses the possible implications of Muslim perspectives on causality for contemporary debates over religion and science.
Islam, Causality, and Science: Perspectives on Reconciliation of Islamic Tradition and Modern Science (Elements in Islam and Science)
by Özgür KocaThis Element intends to contribute to the debate between Islam and science. It focuses on one of the most challenging issues in the modern discussion on the reconciliation of religious and scientific claims about the world, which is to think about divine causality without undermining the rigor and efficacy of the scientific method. First, the Element examines major Islamic accounts of causality. Then, it provides a brief overview of contemporary debates on the issue and identifies both scientific and theological challenges. It argues that any proposed Islamic account of causality for the task of reconciliation should be able to preserve scientific rigor without imposing a priori limits on scientific research, account for miracles without turning them into science-stoppers or metaphors, secure divine and creaturely freedom, and establish a strong sense of divine presence in the world. Following sections discuss strengths and weaknesses of each account in addressing these challenges.
Freedom of Religion and Belief in Turkey: Religion, Society and Politics
by Özgür Heval ÇınarThe freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, from which stem the tenets of pluralism, tolerance, and open-mindedness, are some of the most basic freedoms of a democratic society. This book illustrates the current state of the freedom of religion or belief in Turkey and the challenges and complex problems facing it, concentrating on the most topical issues: being compelled to reveal one’s religion and beliefs on the national identity card; the right of conscientious objection and conscientious objectors; compulsory religious education; recognition of faith groups and the opening of places of worship; and using and wearing religious symbols and dress in the public sphere.
Dreams and Visions in Islamic Societies
by Alexander D. Knysh Özgen FelekDreams and visions have always been important in Islamic societies. Yet, their pervasive impact on Muslim communities and on the lives of individual Muslims remains largely unknown and rather surprising to Westerners. This book addresses this gap in understanding with a fascinating and diverse account, taking readers from premodern Islam to the present day. Dreams and visions are shown to have been, and to be, significant in a range of social, educational, and cultural roles. The book includes a wealth of examples detailing the Sufi experience. Contributors use Arabic, Persian, Indian, Central Asian, and Ottoman sources and employ approaches grounded in history, sociology, psychology, anthropology, religious studies, and literary analysis. This is an illuminating work, showing how ordinary Muslims, Muslim notables, Sufis, legal scholars, and rulers have perceived both themselves and the world around them through the prism of dreams and visions.
The Politics of the Headscarf in the United States
by Sarah A. Tobin Bozena C. Welborne Aubrey L. Westfall Özge Çelik RussellThe Politics of the Headscarf in the United States investigates the social and political effects of the practice of Muslim-American women wearing the headscarf (hijab) in a non-Muslim state. The authors find the act of head covering is not politically motivated in the US setting, but rather it accentuates and engages Muslim identity in uniquely American ways.Transcending contemporary political debates on the issue of Islamic head covering, The Politics of the Headscarf in the United States addresses concerns beyond the simple, particular phenomenon of wearing the headscarf itself, with the authors confronting broader issues of lasting import. These issues include the questions of safeguarding individual and collective identity in a diverse democracy, exploring the ways in which identities inform and shape political practices, and sourcing the meaning of citizenship and belonging in the United States through the voices of Muslim-American women themselves.The Politics of the Headscarf in the United States superbly melds quantitative data with qualitative assessment, and the authors smoothly integrate the results of nearly two thousand survey responses from Muslim-American women across forty-nine states. Seventy-two in-depth interviews with Muslim women living in the United States bolster the arguments put forward by the authors to provide an incredibly well-rounded approach to this fascinating topic.Ultimately, the authors argue, women's experiences with identity and boundary construction through their head-covering practices carry important political consequences that may well shed light on the future of the United States as a model of democratic pluralism.
In the Shadow of Islamophobia: Identity and Belonging for British Turks (Routledge Research in Race and Ethnicity)
by Özge OnayThis book explores the multifaceted experiences of British Turks, particularly focusing on how they navigate and negotiate Islamophobia in contemporary British society. It delves into the complexities of identity, ethnicity, and religion, shedding light on the unique ways in which British Turks respond to and reshape the discourses surrounding Islamophobia. By examining the intersection of Turkish secularism, national identity, and global socio-political dynamics, this book offers a nuanced understanding of how Islamophobia is both experienced and deflected within this community. Through a combination of in-depth interviews, ethnographic insights, and analysis of social discourses, the book highlights how British Turks engage in practices of passing and identity negotiation. It uncovers how these strategies are informed by broader themes such as Brexit, cosmopolitanism, and the legacy of Turkey’s relationship with Europe. This study challenges monolithic interpretations of Islamophobia, presenting a more diverse and intricate portrayal of its impact on different Muslim communities.This book is an essential resource for scholars and students of Sociology, Criminology, Cultural Studies, and Religious Studies, as well as policymakers and practitioners working in multicultural and multi-ethnic contexts. It will be of particular interest to those studying the intersections of race, religion, and identity in the Middle East and Contemporary Europe.
Islamic Identity and Development after the Ottomans: The Arab Middle East (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics)
by Özay MehmetExploring themes of identity and development in the post-Ottoman Arab world, this book updates the author’s earlier Islamic Identity and Development (Routledge, 1990) to analyse the root causes of chaos, civil war, and conflict in the Islamic Core today. Adopting a neo-Ottomanist framework, and using the latest scholarship on the Middle East, the author traces the historical development of the current crisis to the First World War, when the West instigated invasions, coup d’états, civil and proxy wars. It is argued that Western powers have facilitated the dispossession of the Arab people in their overarching aim to gain control of the oil fields. A range of historical case-studies are provided as evidence, from the Balfour Declaration and the Sykes-Picot Agreement to the creation of Israel and the displacement of Islamic refugees. Individual nations are also analysed, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Egypt. Ultimately, the author suggests that artificial countries and unsustainable frontiers are the root causes of the Islamic crisis. However, a realistic (and long-term) solution may lie in the evolution of a new Silk Route Economy. This book will appeal to graduate-level students in political economy, area studies, international affairs, and Middle East studies generally.
Staging Muslims in Britain: Playwriting, Performance, and Representation (Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies)
by Önder ÇakırtaşThis scholarly volume delves into the manner in which British Muslims articulate their cultural, social and religious identities through theatrical productions in 21st-century Britain and examines their portrayal within these performances.The study investigates the factors influencing the emergence and evolution of Islamic theatre in Britain, providing an in-depth analysis of plays by British playwrights of both Muslim and non-Muslim origins that have shaped the trajectory of British Islamic theatre from the late 20th century to the present. Önder Çakırtaş critically examines how British playwrights, predominantly of Muslim origin but also including some of non-Muslim origin, depict Muslim identity and culture from their unique perspectives, particularly in the context of post-9/11 society. Adopting a comprehensive approach to Islamic playwriting and performance, this book highlights the accomplishments and contributions of contemporary British playwrights, primarily from Muslim backgrounds.This study will be of significant interest to scholars and students in theatre studies, as well as related disciplines such as Islamic studies, sociology and political science.
Polemical Encounters: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in Iberia and Beyond (Iberian Encounter and Exchange, 475–1755)
by Ryan Szpiech Linda G. Jones John Dagenais Gerard Wiegers Thomas E. Burman Antoni Biosca i Bas Mònica Colominas Aparicio Óscar de la Cruz Borja Franco Llopis Daniel J. Lasker Davide Scotto Pieter Sjoerd van Koningsveld Carsten WilkeThis collection takes a new approach to understanding religious plurality in the Iberian Peninsula and its Mediterranean and northern European contexts. Focusing on polemics—works that attack or refute the beliefs of religious Others—this volume aims to challenge the problematic characterization of Iberian Jews, Muslims, and Christians as homogeneous groups.From the high Middle Ages to the end of the seventeenth century, Christian efforts to convert groups of Jews and Muslims, Muslim efforts to convert Christians and Jews, and the defensive efforts of these communities to keep their members within the faiths led to the production of numerous polemics. This volume brings together a wide variety of case studies that expose how the current historiographical focus on the three religious communities as allegedly homogeneous groups obscures the diversity within the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities as well as the growing ranks of skeptics and outright unbelievers. Featuring contributions from a range of academic disciplines, this paradigm-shifting book sheds new light on the cultural and intellectual dynamics of the conflicts that marked relations among these religious communities in the Iberian Peninsula and beyond.In addition to the editors, the contributors are Antoni Biosca i Bas, Thomas E. Burman, Mònica Colominas Aparicio, John Dagenais, Óscar de la Cruz, Borja Franco Llopis, Linda G. Jones, Daniel J. Lasker, Davide Scotto, Teresa Soto, Ryan Szpiech, Pieter Sjoerd van Koningsveld, and Carsten Wilke.
Diloggún Tales of the Natural World: How the Moon Fooled the Sun and Other Santería Stories
by Ócha'Ni LeleSacred myths from Santería centered on nature and the natural world • Includes more than 40 myths, stories, and histories from the Lucumí tradition • Reassembles the oral fragments from the African diaspora into coherent stories • Demonstrates that the African peoples, specifically the Yoruba, had deep philosophies and metaphysics involving nature and the natural world Since ancient times the Yoruba of West Africa created sacred stories--patakís--to make sense of the world around them. Upon arrival in the New World, the Yoruba religion began to incorporate elements from Catholic and Native traditions, evolving into Santería, and new patakís were born, adding to the many chapters already found in the odu of the diloggun--the sacred oral teachings and divination system of the Yoruba, or Lucumí, faith. Comparable to the myths of ancient Greece and Rome and rich with jewels of wisdom like the I Ching, these Santería stories are as vast as the Hindu Vedas and as culturally significant as the parables in the Torah, Talmud, and Christian Bible. Diloggun Tales of the Natural World presents more than 40 patakís that shed light upon the worldview of Santería. Each story in this collection, reassembled from the oral tradition of the African diaspora, is centered on a spiritual principle in nature: the waxing and waning of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, the phenomenon of shooting stars, the separation of sky and earth, and the origins of the animals and birds who play key roles in Santería symbology. Revealing the metaphysics, theology, and philosophy of the Yoruba people, this volume shows these stories to be as powerful and relevant today as they were to the ancient Yoruba who once safeguarded them.
Osogbo: Speaking to the Spirits of Misfortune
by Ócha'Ni LeleBy understanding osogbo, the spirits of misfortune, we can better overcome them and return to health and balance in our lives • Explains how misfortune works in this world as living spirits that plague humanity but are also a catalyst for self-development and conscious evolution • Shows that we can overcome osogbo through ebó, sacrifice, and hard work as prescribed by consulting the orishas through the casting of the diloggún • Shares more than 40 ancient African sacred stories about the spirits of osogbo Beginning with the story of his goddaughter's battle with stage IV cancer, Lucumi priest Ócha'ni Lele explains the role of osogbo, or misfortune, in our lives. While everyone seeks blessings in life, undeserved blessings make us weak and lazy. It is tragedy that encourages us to grow and persevere. Exploring the Lucumí beliefs regarding osogbo, he shows that the Lucumí faith is neither fatalistic nor defeatist but healing and life affirming. He shares more than 40 patakís--stories stemming from the ancient Yoruba of West Africa--about the different spirits of osogbo, who like the orishas once walked the earth in human bodies. He explains the place of these spirits within the 256 odu of the diloggún, the divination system used in Santería to receive guidance from the orishas. Lele shows that the spirits of osogbo are not only concepts but also real deities and that we can, if we understand their nature, fight them through ebó, sacrifice, and hard work. He reveals how the osogbos see themselves as entities of misfortune who stand against life and all that is good in the world, but in truth it is misfortune that strengthens us, misfortune that motivates us, and misfortune that brings great evolution to the world. As the author shows, “Without bitterness, one could not know sweetness.” Likewise, without misfortune in our lives, we would never know blessings or what it means to be blessed.