Sacred Act of Reading: Spirituality, Performance, and Power in Afro-Diasporic Literature

New World black authors have written about African-derived religious traditions and spiritual practices, and Anne Margaret Castro's book explores this topic by engaging with spiritual traditions such as Vodou, Kumina, and Protestant Christianity. It offers comparative readings alongside the works of Afro-Colombian anthropologist Manuel Zapata Olivella, Jamaican sociologist Erna Brodber, and Canadian fiction writer Nalo Hopkinson.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 30 December 2019
Publisher: University of Virginia Press

The rich tapestry of black literature from Zora Neale Hurston to Derek Walcott to Toni Morrison has explored the profound connections between African-derived religious traditions and spiritual practices. In her groundbreaking work, "The Sacred Act of Reading," Anne Margaret Castro delves into the intricate interplay of religion and sociopolitical power in a diverse range of modern and contemporary texts from the black Americas. Through a captivating blend of spiritual traditions, including Vodou, Kumina, and Protestant Christianity, Castro offers a novel and nuanced interpretation of power, drawing upon canonical Euro-centric literary theory.

Castro's examination spans a wide spectrum, encompassing prophecy in Derek Walcott's dramas, preaching in Zora Neale Hurston's ethnography, and liturgy in Toni Morrison's novels. By comparing these works alongside the insights of Afro-Colombian anthropologist Manuel Zapata Olivella, Jamaican sociologist Erna Brodber, and Canadian fiction writer Nalo Hopkinson, Castro provides comparative readings that shed light on the diverse ways in which black authors in the Americas harness spiritual phenomena as theoretical frameworks for critical thought.

"The Sacred Act of Reading" stands as a groundbreaking achievement, as it is the first book to bring together literary texts, historical and contemporary anthropological studies, theology, and critical theory to explore the profound ways in which black authors in the Americas employ spiritual phenomena as tools for thinking within, against, and beyond structures of political dominance, dependence, and power. This interdisciplinary approach offers a rich and multi-dimensional perspective on the complexities of religion, power, and identity in the black Americas, paving the way for new understandings and interpretations of this vital literary tradition.

Weight: 430g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813943459