
<h2>&nbsp;Africana Studies Paradigm - Objectives and Scope</h2>
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<p>Aims</p>
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<p>to shed light on the histories, religions, languages, and cultures of the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora from antiquity to the present</p>
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<p>to highlight the distinctive achievements of African and Afrodiasporan peoples within the context of the larger human experience</p>
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<p>to look closely at the complex relationship between Africa and various global diasporan communities and its impact on the shaping of identity and the generation of ideas</p>
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<p>Focus&nbsp; -&nbsp; Africa and multiple Diasporas</p>
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<p>Historical Scope - from antiquity to the present</p>
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<p>Breadth - interdisciplinary, holistic, and integrative</p>
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<p>Methodology - full range of critical tools derived from the Humanities, Fine Arts, Social Sciences, Pure Sciences, and Theological Disciplines</p>
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<h3>Working Definitions - from the Compact Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition(Oxford University Press, 1989). Page numbers appear in parentheses.</h3>
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<p>Spirituality - “the quality or condition of being spiritual; attachment to or regard for things of the spirit as opposed to material or worldly interests” (1856)</p>
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<p>Faith - “Belief, trust, confidence” (563)</p>
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<p>Religion - “Action or conduct indicating a belief in, reverence for, and desire to please, a divine ruling power; the exercise or practice of rites or observances implying this” (1552)</p>
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<h3>Spirituality - A Personal Definition (H. R. Page, Jr.)</h3>
<p>The lived implications of a worlview that acknowledges the reality, pervasiveness, and importance of the numinous - broadly understood - within the cosmos; a way of life structured in a manner consistent with one's understanding of the numinous</p>
<h3>Africana Spirituality</h3>
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<p>Constitutes the full range of religious practices created by peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora from antiquity to the present</p>
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<p>Embraces Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism, and indigenous faith traditions in Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean</p>
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<p>Is diverse and heterogeneous</p>
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<p>Is dynamic and evolving</p>
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<h3>Historical Challenges*</h3>
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<p>Dealing with the legacy of slavery</p>
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<p>Addressing prolonged and continuing social marginalization</p>
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<p>Engaging a diverse array of religious ideas, ideologies, and social realities - fostering dialogue</p>
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<p>Maintaining relevance</p>
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<p>Promoting theological inclusivity</p>
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<h3>Factors Impacting Africana Life in the Americas and Individual/Communal Responses<br /></h3>
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<p>POLITICAL DISENFRANCHISEMENT - Resignation, Resistance, or Compromise</p>
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<p>SOCIAL MARGINALIZATION - Segregation, Limited Engagement, or Assimilation</p>
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<p>LIMITED RELIGIOUS FREEDOM - Rejection of Religious Mainstream, Conversion to/Embrace of Religious Mainstream, or Development of Alternative Diasporan Spiritualities</p>
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<h3>Early Africana Spiritualities in the New World<br /></h3>
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<p>African Indigenous Religions</p>
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<p>Islam</p>
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<p>Christianity</p>
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<p>Afrodiasporan Pneumatic Practices (APPs)</p>
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<h3>Questions - Part 1</h3>
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<p>What does the story of the failed insurrection led by Denmark Vesey reveal about social, political, and religious life in South Carolina?</p>
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<p>In what ways did Christianity serve as a constructive and destabilizing presence in the Black community during the 18th century?</p>
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<p>In what ways does religious faith serve as a sustaining and liberating force in the lives of Ibrahima Abdul Rahman and Sojourner Truth?</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>*The timeline in Philip Koslow's (ed.) African American Desk Reference (New York: John WIley and Sons, 1999): 2-24, provides an excellent summary of pivotal events in Africana history, particularly in the Americas and the Atlantic World.<br />&nbsp;</p>
