African American Religion: A Very Short IntroductionSince the first African American denomination was established in Philadelphia in 1818, churches have gone beyond their role as spiritual guides in African American communities and have served as civic institutions, spaces for education, and sites for the cultivation of individuality and identities in the face of limited or non-existent freedom. In this Very Short Introduction, Eddie S. Glaude Jr. explores the history and circumstances of African American religion through three examples: conjure, African American Christianity, and African American Islam. He argues that the phrase "African American religion" is meaningful only insofar as it describes how through religion, African Americans have responded to oppressive conditions including slavery, Jim Crow apartheid, and the pervasive and institutionalized discrimination that exists today. This bold claim frames his interpretation of the historical record of the wide diversity of religious experiences in the African American community. He rejects the common tendency to racialize African American religious experiences as an inherent proclivity towards religiousness and instead focuses on how religious communities and experiences have developed in the African American community and the context in which these developments took place. About the Series: Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable. |
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Contents
The category of African American religion | 1 |
Conjure and African American religion | 16 |
African American Christianity The early phase 17601863 | 32 |
African American Christianity The modern phase 18631935 | 47 |
African American Christianity The modern phase 19351980 | 65 |
African American Christianity since 1980 | 80 |
African American Islam | 96 |
Conclusion | 115 |
References | 119 |
| 127 | |
| 133 | |
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Common terms and phrases
African American Christianity African American Islam African American Muslims African American religion Baptist Church believed black America black Baptist black Christendom black Christianity black churches black communities black denominations black freedom struggle black religious black women challenged Chicago Christ cities civil rights movement congregation conjure context Covey cultural David distinctive doctrine Douglass economic efforts Elijah Muhammad embrace experience expression Fard global God’s Gospel Holy Howard Thurman idea Jesus Jim Crow King lives magic mainline black megachurches Methodist Migration ministers missionaries modern phase Moorish Science Temple Muslims nation Nation of Islam Negro neo-Pentecostalism Noble Drew Noble Drew Ali ofblack ofIslam ofthe organization Oxford University Press particular Pentecostalism percent political preach presence prosperity gospel race racial racism Religious History religious imagination religious practices role shaped slaveholders slavery social South southern spirit theology traditions transformed twentieth century United W. E. B. Du Bois white Christians white supremacy York
Bibliographic information
| Title | African American Religion: A Very Short Introduction Volume 397 of Very short introductions, ISSN 2399-7168 |
| Author | Eddie S. Glaude (Jr.) |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 2014 |
| ISBN | 0195182898, 9780195182897 |
| Length | 142 pages |
| Subjects | › › RELIGION / Psychology of Religion Social Science / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies Social Science / Sociology of Religion |
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