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Africana Studies Subject Guide — Africana Religion

Interdisciplinary guide for Africana/African American Studies

Africana Religion

This page features a small selection of UConn library and external resources to support learning and research pertaining to Africana religions. This list is meant to be exploratory and is not a comprehensive representation or list of the library's holdings.

For additional assistance, please contact Stephanie Birch, Research Services Librarian for Africana Studies at stephanie.birch@uconn.edu.

African Diasporic Religions

This section provides a selection of print & eBook titles and online resources pertaining to African Diasporic religions in the Americas. Black religions have historically (and to the present day) been demonized, often reduced to witchcraft or superstition. However, African and African Diasporic religions are complex spiritual and social systems. African descended peoples maintained their spiritual practices through the transatlantic slave trade and adapted as necessary. Adaptation and transformation led to the development of new religions across the African Diaspora, resulting in distinct religions connected through intersectional, shared histories, ancestries, languages, and practices. 

Try searching for: Candomblé, Santeria, Palo Mayombe, Haitian Vodou, Louisiana Voodoo, Hoodoo and Conjure, Rastafarianism, Espiritismo, and Obeah. 

Books from the Collection

Judaism, Islam, and Christianity

African and African-descended people are also adherents of major world religions, such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. However, Black histories within and contributions to these religions are often relegated to the margins. Nevertheless, Black people within Judaic, Islamic and Christian religious communities are important figures -- spiritually, socially, and politically. This section features a selection of print & eBooks addressing the Black histories and experiences pertaining to these three religions. 






 

Books fthe Collection