Department of Religious Studies

This course explores convergences between religion, colonialism, and post-colonialism, with a primary focus on the Americas. We begin with the connections between religion, the conquest and colonization of the Americas, and the practice of slavery, paying close attention to indigenous and African responses to these colonial encounters. We also engage discussions about the “modernization” and commodification of minority religious traditions, debates about what it means to frame such religious traditions as spirituality or cultural heritage, and the scholarship on religion and globalization. Our readings include theoretical, historical, and ethnographic texts from scholars in Religious Studies, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, and American Studies.