Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
An exploration of Yoruba Pentecostalism's role in child witchcraft accusations, examining migration, leadership, and collective responsibility to address faith-based child abuse globally.
What drives communities to accuse children of witchcraft, and how do religious beliefs and leadership dynamics perpetuate this phenomenon across borders? Claire Ayelotan delves into the involvement of Yoruba (Nigerian) Pentecostal leaders in accusations of child witchcraft in Nigeria and the UK. Using a multidisciplinary approach, her research examines the theological, cultural, socioeconomic, and legal influences that drive such behaviours. Ethnographic studies and interviews with pastors and practitioners reveal how power dynamics, gender roles, and international migration intersect to perpetuate these harmful beliefs. The book uncovers gaps in current literature and presents original insights on the collective responsibility, shared beliefs, and complexities of Pentecostal leadership in this context. By focusing on the global aspects of child witchcraft accusations, it sheds new light on how migration impacts these practices and the negative consequences they have on vulnerable children.
An important read for academics, policymakers, and child welfare professionals, this book challenges assumptions and urges immediate action to combat faith-based child abuse in all its manifestations.
What drives communities to accuse children of witchcraft, and how do religious beliefs and leadership dynamics perpetuate this phenomenon across borders? Claire Ayelotan delves into the involvement of Yoruba (Nigerian) Pentecostal leaders in accusations of child witchcraft in Nigeria and the UK. Using a multidisciplinary approach, her research examines the theological, cultural, socioeconomic, and legal influences that drive such behaviours. Ethnographic studies and interviews with pastors and practitioners reveal how power dynamics, gender roles, and international migration intersect to perpetuate these harmful beliefs. The book uncovers gaps in current literature and presents original insights on the collective responsibility, shared beliefs, and complexities of Pentecostal leadership in this context. By focusing on the global aspects of child witchcraft accusations, it sheds new light on how migration impacts these practices and the negative consequences they have on vulnerable children.
An important read for academics, policymakers, and child welfare professionals, this book challenges assumptions and urges immediate action to combat faith-based child abuse in all its manifestations.
Price: $130.00
Pages: 372
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Inc.
Imprint: University of Rochester Press
Publication Date:
02 September 2025
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9781648251238
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Cultural & Ethnic Studies / African Studies, African history, RELIGION / Christianity / Pentecostal & Charismatic, FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Abuse / Child Abuse, BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Witchcraft (see also RELIGION / Wicca), Witchcraft, Pentecostal or Charismatic Churches, Child abuse, Religious intolerance, persecution and conflict
This book sheds new light on the intricate connections between witchcraft, African Pentecostal excesses, and the plight and precarity of African children. Displaying careful thinking, sadness, theological insights, and tough introspection, Ayelotan's beautifully written work is an insider's account of the experiences of the African Child.
— Nimi Wariboko, Walter G. Muelder Professor of Social Ethics, Boston University
Through rigorous scrutiny and research methodology, this book provides essential information for researchers, religious entrepreneurs, child and human rights practitioners and activists, policy makers, media and the general public who care to know about the extent and prevalence of child abuse within organizations other than the Catholic Church.
Yoruba Pentecostalism and Childhood Witchcraft Accusations explores the intricate relations between religion, culture, and power in modern Yoruba society. An important book for those wanting to know more about African Christianity, cultural studies, or social anthropology.
Yoruba Pentecostalism and Child Witchcraft Accusations provides a careful and detailed description of witchcraft accusations against children and how they have increased among the Yoruba, particularly among those who follow certain Christian religions. Dr. Ayelotan's interviews with individuals give her work quality and depth.
Claire Ayelotan's book confronts a pressing problem across Africa: witchcraft accusations against underage children. When children scarcely know what a 'witch' is, how can they be so labelled and cast out by families and communities? The author has the courage to tackle an enduring taboo and does so with analytical clarity and pastoral care. I highly recommend this book. Its insight - especially within Christian contexts - reveals a deep-rooted social problem whose effects reach from everyday life to national development.
In this groundbreaking and deeply moving study, Claire P. Ayelotan confronts the harrowing reality of child witchcraft accusations within Nigerian Pentecostalism. Yoruba Pentecostalism and Child Witchcraft Accusations is a courageous and meticulously researched work that unravels the complex interplay of religion, culture, and social dynamics fueling this devastating phenomenon. Drawing on powerful personal testimonies and rigorous academic analysis, Ayelotan exposes the systemic failures that perpetuate violence against society's most vulnerable. This book is more than just a scholarly inquiry; it is an urgent call to action, a powerful plea for justice, and an essential read for anyone concerned with human rights, religious studies, and contemporary African issues. Ayelotan's unflinching examination provides a critical framework for understanding and combating a modern-day tragedy, making this a vital contribution to the global conversation on faith, abuse, and cultural change. A profoundly important and timely work.
— Nimi Wariboko, Walter G. Muelder Professor of Social Ethics, Boston University
Through rigorous scrutiny and research methodology, this book provides essential information for researchers, religious entrepreneurs, child and human rights practitioners and activists, policy makers, media and the general public who care to know about the extent and prevalence of child abuse within organizations other than the Catholic Church.
Yoruba Pentecostalism and Childhood Witchcraft Accusations explores the intricate relations between religion, culture, and power in modern Yoruba society. An important book for those wanting to know more about African Christianity, cultural studies, or social anthropology.
Yoruba Pentecostalism and Child Witchcraft Accusations provides a careful and detailed description of witchcraft accusations against children and how they have increased among the Yoruba, particularly among those who follow certain Christian religions. Dr. Ayelotan's interviews with individuals give her work quality and depth.
Claire Ayelotan's book confronts a pressing problem across Africa: witchcraft accusations against underage children. When children scarcely know what a 'witch' is, how can they be so labelled and cast out by families and communities? The author has the courage to tackle an enduring taboo and does so with analytical clarity and pastoral care. I highly recommend this book. Its insight - especially within Christian contexts - reveals a deep-rooted social problem whose effects reach from everyday life to national development.
In this groundbreaking and deeply moving study, Claire P. Ayelotan confronts the harrowing reality of child witchcraft accusations within Nigerian Pentecostalism. Yoruba Pentecostalism and Child Witchcraft Accusations is a courageous and meticulously researched work that unravels the complex interplay of religion, culture, and social dynamics fueling this devastating phenomenon. Drawing on powerful personal testimonies and rigorous academic analysis, Ayelotan exposes the systemic failures that perpetuate violence against society's most vulnerable. This book is more than just a scholarly inquiry; it is an urgent call to action, a powerful plea for justice, and an essential read for anyone concerned with human rights, religious studies, and contemporary African issues. Ayelotan's unflinching examination provides a critical framework for understanding and combating a modern-day tragedy, making this a vital contribution to the global conversation on faith, abuse, and cultural change. A profoundly important and timely work.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Glossary of Yorubaland Terms
1. Child Witchcraft Accusation: Defining the Problem
2. Understanding Child Witchcraft Accusations: Collective Faith-Based Child Cruelty
3. Witchcraft in Yoruba Cosmology
4. Pentecostalism, Islam, and Witchcraft in Yorubaland (Nigeria)
5. Witchcraft Worldview and Pentecostal Leadership Dynamics
6. Perceptions of Child Witchcraft and Deliverance among Pentecostal Pastors in Nigeria and the Diaspora
7. Discussion, Conclusion, and Recommendations
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Glossary of Yorubaland Terms
1. Child Witchcraft Accusation: Defining the Problem
2. Understanding Child Witchcraft Accusations: Collective Faith-Based Child Cruelty
3. Witchcraft in Yoruba Cosmology
4. Pentecostalism, Islam, and Witchcraft in Yorubaland (Nigeria)
5. Witchcraft Worldview and Pentecostal Leadership Dynamics
6. Perceptions of Child Witchcraft and Deliverance among Pentecostal Pastors in Nigeria and the Diaspora
7. Discussion, Conclusion, and Recommendations
Bibliography
Index