Books by Frederick Quinn

Members of many religions live alongside one another in sprawling urban centers and isolated rural communities, and conflict and misunderstanding among religions are widespread. This book examines the nature of such encounters and explores the meaning of religious dialogue and terms like conversion, syncretism, salvation, and pluralism.

Relatively recent Bantu-speaking migrants to central Cameroon, the Beti have had an eventful history. Based on extensive interviews and traditional Beti (Fang) poetry, in addition to German and French archival sources, the author of this readable study recreates the social structure of the Beti and their self-perceptions in pre-colonial times, their disruptive encounters with first German (1880-1918) and then French (1918-1960) colonialism, until Cameroon's independence.

This volume tells the story of the French overseas empire, assembled as much by chance as by sytematic design. It was an imperial presence that brought commerce, technolgy and culture to indigenous peoples, while at the same time promoting the slave trade and suppressing independence movements.