The Souls of Womenfolk: The Religious Cultures of Enslaved Women in the Lower South

Alexis Wells-Oghoghomeh's book explores the interior lives of bondwomen and how they crafted female-centered cultures that shaped the religious consciousness and practices of entire enslaved communities. She argues that gender and race co-constituted the Black religious subject, requiring a shift away from understandings of slave religion as a gender-amorphous category. Women responded to slavery on many levels, remembering, reconfiguring, and innovating beliefs and practices circulating between Africa and the Americas. This book opens a rare window onto the spiritual strivings of one of the most remarkable and elusive groups in the American experience.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 14 September 2021
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

In the sixteenth century, Alexis Wells-Oghoghomeh embarked on a captivating journey that traced the intricate history of bondwomen, exploring their inner lives amidst the horrors of American slavery. Spanning from the shores of West Africa to the U.S. Lower South on the eve of the Civil War, her research delved into the diverse aspects of women's experiences, including maternity, sex, and gender-based cultures. Through meticulous attention to these themes, Wells-Oghoghomeh unveiled how bondwomen crafted female-centered societies that profoundly impacted the religious consciousness and practices of entire enslaved communities. She argued that gender and race co-constituted the Black religious subject, challenging prevailing notions of slave religion as a gender-amorphous category.

Women responded to southern slavery in multifaceted ways, exhibiting ethical, ritual, and communal responses. Wells-Oghoghomeh's research drew from a diverse array of sources, illuminating how enslaved women remembered, reinterpreted, and innovated beliefs and practices that circulated between Africa and the Americas. By doing so, she sought to rectify the exclusion of enslaved women from the American religious narrative, offering a rare glimpse into their spiritual aspirations. This book challenges conventional institutional histories, providing a unique window into the profound spiritual journeys of one of the most remarkable and enigmatic groups in American history.

Weight: 512g
Dimension: 156 x 233 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781469663609