How have the experiences of migration and urbanization affected American religion in general and African American religion in particular? This course will read studies of urban places along with studies of the religions they inspired, examining primarily, but not exclusively, black religions. By reading urban history and religious history simultaneously, we can achieve an understanding of both content and context. The course will proceed both chronologically and thematically, from the emphasis on the exodus in 19th century Southern African American religion to the embrace of mysticism, Ethiopianism, and Orientalism in the Jim Crow period; from the old-time religion of the black church to the newer New Testament-centered faiths of the Holiness and Pentecostal movement. Along the way, the course will use classic case studies of Washington, D.C.; New York; Chicago; and the West; and cover the invention of Black Israelite, Black Muslim, and Rastafarian faiths; the rise of gospel music; and the importance of African American religion to the civil rights movement. For comparison's sake, the course will also include some studies of the urban religions that surrounded black city-dwellers. |