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RST1502 ASSIGNMENT 3 SEMESTER1 2023
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RST1502ASSIGNMENT 3
SEMESTER 1
2023
, Essay 1: The Use of Frazer's Anthropological Theory of Religion by Junod to Analyze Tsonga
Religion Based on Information from His Informant Elias "Spoon" Libombo (1500 words)
Frazer's anthropological theory of religion, as outlined in his book "The Golden Bough," was
based on the idea that religion was a product of human attempts to control and understand
the natural world. According to Frazer, primitive societies developed religious beliefs and
practices in order to exert control over natural phenomena such as the weather, fertility, and
death. Frazer's work was highly influential in the early twentieth century and was widely cited
by scholars studying religion in colonial contexts.
One scholar who drew on Frazer's theory to analyze religion in a colonial context was Henri-
Alexandre Junod, a Swiss Protestant missionary who worked among the Tsonga people of
South Africa. Junod's analysis of Tsonga religion was based on information provided by his
informant Elias "Spoon" Libombo, who had converted to Christianity but continued to
practice traditional Tsonga beliefs.
Junod used Frazer's theory to argue that Tsonga religion was characterized by a belief in
magic and the manipulation of natural phenomena. According to Junod, Tsonga people
believed in a variety of supernatural beings and practiced various forms of magic in order to
control the natural world. However, Junod also recognized the ways in which Tsonga religion
provided a moral framework for individual behaviour.
Junod's use of Frazer's theory to analyze Tsonga religion was criticized by some scholars for
its Euro centrism and oversimplification of complex religious beliefs and practices. However,
Junod's work remains important for its detailed ethnographic description of Tsonga religion
and its influence on subsequent scholarship on African religion.
In addition to its influence on Junod's analysis of Tsonga religion, Frazer's theory was also
cited by other scholars studying religion in colonial contexts. For example, E. E. Evans-
Pritchard used Frazer's theory to analyze the beliefs and practices of the Nuer people of
Sudan, while James George Frazer himself applied his theory to the study of religion in
ancient Greece and Rome.
Junod's application of Frazer's anthropological theory of religion to the analysis of Tsonga
religion can be understood in the context of his broader work as a Swiss missionary in South
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