The first collection to distinguish religion's role in the creation of
race and ethnic categories
**
Religion and the Creation of Race and Ethnicity** is the first
collection devoted to demonstrating the role that religion and myth have
played in the creation of the categories of "race" and "ethnicity."
When scholars approach religion and race, they tend to focus on such
issues as how African Americans have expressed Christianity, or how
Japanese or Mexicans have lived "religiously." This volume, meant
specifically for those new to the field, brings together an ensemble of
prominent scholars and illuminates instead the role religious myths have
played in shaping those very social boundaries that we call "races" and
"ethnicities." It asks, what part did Christianity play in creating
"Blackness"? To what extent was Japanese or Mexican identity itself the
product of religious life?
The text, comprised of all original material, introduces readers to the
social construction of race and ethnicity and the ways in which these
concepts are shaped by religious narratives. It offers examples from
both the U.S. and around the world, exploring these themes in the
context of places as diverse as Bosnia, India, Japan, Mexico, Zimbabwe,
and the Middle East. The volume helps make the case that any account of
the social construction of race and ethnicity will be incomplete if it
fails to consider the influence of religious traditions and myths.
Contributors include: Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Joel Martin, Jacob
Neusner, Roberto S. Goizueta, Laurie Patton, and Michael A. Sells.
