African American Religious History
S06
Bradford Verter
This course will survey the religious beliefs and practices of Americans of African descent over the past five centuries, from the missions to sub-Saharan Africa in the 15th century, through the periods of slavery, emancipation, Reconstruction, legal segregation, and urbanization, up to the civil rights movement, and black cultural nationalism in more recent years. Along the way we will explore a number of topics, including the role of religion in the formation of personal and national identity; the political ramifications of Christian faith; gendered dimensions of black religious life; expressive aspects of black religious culture; the tensions between denominational and extra-ecclesial piety; and the debates over Afrocentrism and hip hop culture.