Between Sundays: Black Women and Everyday Struggles of Faith (George Gund Foundation Book in African American Studies)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Anthropology
Review: I had a chance to read an early copy of this book. (Full disclosure: I know Dr. Frederick personally.) As an anthropologist of religion, I very much appreciated her careful ethnographic work in understanding the subject of African-American spirituality. As she points out, the Black Church in the U.S. is generally understood in political and institutional terms; individual experiences of faith get elided into the overarching category of "The Black Church." Thus whether people see this church as a good thing (progressive social institution, empowering ideology) or a bad thing (patriarchal institution of control) they do not necessarily see the nuanced understandings that individuals can hold. Frederick's book is a wonderful companion to those focusing on the history of the black church as an institution or political agent by bringing in the ethnographcially rich element of faith, interpretation and agency from the 'ground up.' Her own perspective as an anthropologist trained at Duke, now a faculty member at Harvard, an African-American woman from the South and a practicing Christian provides a richness to her analysis and relationship with her subject that is often absent from these sorts of works. Well written, interesting, and fun to read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Anthropology
Review: I had a chance to read an early copy of this book. (Full disclosure: I know Dr. Frederick personally.) As an anthropologist of religion, I very much appreciated her careful ethnographic work in understanding the subject of African-American spirituality. As she points out, the Black Church in the U.S. is generally understood in political and institutional terms; individual experiences of faith get elided into the overarching category of "The Black Church." Thus whether people see this church as a good thing (progressive social institution, empowering ideology) or a bad thing (patriarchal institution of control) they do not necessarily see the nuanced understandings that individuals can hold. Frederick's book is a wonderful companion to those focusing on the history of the black church as an institution or political agent by bringing in the ethnographcially rich element of faith, interpretation and agency from the 'ground up.' Her own perspective as an anthropologist trained at Duke, now a faculty member at Harvard, an African-American woman from the South and a practicing Christian provides a richness to her analysis and relationship with her subject that is often absent from these sorts of works. Well written, interesting, and fun to read.