African American Religious History AR
This course offers an introduction to African American religious experiences in the United States. We will look at religious practices "imported" from Africa, slave religion, the growth of independent black denominations, the Back to Africa movement, black “new religious movements” (such as Garveyism and the Nation of Islam), and the religious dimensions of the Civil Rights Movement. As we explore the influence of forced immigration, slavery, gender, segregation and freedom movements on the shape of African Americans' religious experiences, three questions will inform our discussion. What is "African" about African American religions? As a group excluded from many of the freedoms of American society, what is "American" in African American religious experiences? How are notions of religion and religious practice nuanced when applied to these particular cultural contexts? 3 hrs. lect.