In this course, we will study the relationship between race, religion, and politics in the context of black strivings for liberation in the Americas, the trans-Atlantic, and so forth. We will examine how struggles against anti-black violence have been inspired by criticisms and re-interpretations of prevailing religious ideas and practices in addition to the creation of new conceptions of the sacred. We will focus on two different contexts/movements – anti-slavery/abolitionist movements and mid 20th century black freedom/decolonial struggles —considering in each case how religion is both an object of critique and a source of empowerment, agency, and resistance.
