African Immigrant Religions in America

by Olupona, Jacob K.

• ISBN13: 9780814762127
• ISBN10: 0814762123
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-05-01
• Publisher: New York Univ Pr

Summary

African immigration to North America has been rapidly increasing. Yet, little has been written about this significant group of immigrants and the particular religious traditions that they are transplanting on our shores, as scholars continue largely to focus instead on immigrants from Europe and Asia.African Immigrant Religions in Americafocuses on new understandings and insights concerning the presence and relevance of African immigrant religious communities in the United States. It explores the profound significance of religion in the lives of immigrants and the relevance of these growing communities for U.S. social life. It describes key social and historical aspects of African immigrant religion in the U.S. and builds a conceptual framework for theory and analysis.The volume broadens our understandings of the ways in which new immigration is changing the face of Christianity in the U.S. and adds needed breadth to the study of the black church, incorporating the experiences of African immigrant religious communities in America.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
Historical and Theoretical Perspectives
Communities of Believers: Exploring African Immigrant Religion in the United States	p. 27
African Immigrant Churches in the United States and the Study of Black Church History	p. 47
The Andrew Syndrome: Models in Understanding Nigerian Diaspora	p. 61
Reverse Mission: Faith, Practice, and the Immigrant Journey
Non-Western Christianity in the Western World: African Immigrant Churches in the Diaspora	p. 89
Portable Faith: The Global Mission of African Initiated Churches	p. 102
Gender, Ethnicity, and Identity
Gender, Identity, and Power in African Immigrant Evangelical Churches	p. 133
Gender and Change in an African Immigrant Church: An Anthropologist and a (Former) Prophetess Reflect	p. 158
West African Muslims in America: When Are Muslims Not Muslims?	p. 182
African Religious Beliefs and Practices in Diaspora: An Ethnographic Observation of Activities at an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church in Los Angeles	p. 207
Civic Engagement and Political Incorporation
Transnationalism, Religion, and the African Diaspora in Canada: An Examination of Ghanaians and Ghanaian Churches	p. 229
Singing the Lord's Song in a Foreign Land: Spirituality, Communality, and Identity in a Ghanaian Immigrant Congregation	p. 259
African Immigrant Churches and the New Christian Right	p. 279
African Muslims in the United States: The Nigerian Case	p. 306
Conclusion	p. 325
Contributors	p. 335
Index	p. 339
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