What happens at a cultural and religious crossroads? How have African societies articulated responses to the historical forces that have converged on the continent? In many parts of Africa, the crossroad is understood as a liminal space from which the spirit world can be accessed. It is therefore where offerings and sacrifices for the gods are left. The African marketplace is also a crossroad where goods and ideas are exchanged with neighbor and stranger alike. This course borrows the African crossroad as a metaphor for cultural encounter and explores the ways in which Africans have been inspired to create new religions and transform old ones when they come into contact with new people and ideas. Introducing a series of contact zones where these interactions are readily accessible - the coast of West and West Central Africa, the Caribbean, the Sahel, and the Swahili Coast - this course will center present day Zanzibar as a site for ethnographic reflection. The course will deploy a multi-disciplinary approach that includes engagements with ritual objects, performances, and architecture, as well as art and film. NOTE: Pending feasible international travel conditions, this course will include a seminar in Tanzania.