African Religions of the Americas

5-None

Introduces the history and practices of African-derived traditions as they have developed in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Black American communities in the US. These religious systems are discussed with reference to their representation in mainstream media (television shows and Hollywood movies, for example), and analyzed according to the more complex realities of practitioners everyday lives. Three themes to be explored in each tradition include 1) gender and sexuality; 2) racial identity and resistance; and 3) aesthetics.