Description
Book SynopsisPresenting a study of African American healing, this work sheds light on a variety of folk practices and traces their development from the time of slavery through the Great Migrations. Through conversations with black Americans, it demonstrates how herbs, charms, and rituals continue folk healing performances.
Trade ReviewAn exploration of the history and practices of black healers and healing illuminating the vital cultural, intellectual, and spiritual expression of a people. This fine multidisciplinary work draws deeply and thoughtfully from the experiences and words of its subjects, offering alternative visions of human creativity, resistance, and community. -- Yvonne Chireau,author of Black Magic: Religion and the African-American Conjuring Tradition
African American Folk Healing is an insightful work that places folk healing within the context of larger spiritual, political, and intellectual movements. It illuminates the interconnectedness among activism, medicine, gender studies, folklore, and theology that influence the ways African American female healers work and live. * The Journal of African American History *
Persuasively argued. . . . A fascinating study that makes a real contribution to discussions of health, wellness and faith in America. * Publishers Weekly *
A readable book well suited for most academic libraries. * Choice *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction I Historical Paths to Healing1 Stories and Cures: De?ning African American Folk Healing 2 Healing, the Black Body, and Institutional Medicine: Contexts for Crafting Wellness3 Healing in Place: From Past to Present II Today's Healing Traditions4 Healing and Hybridity in the Twenty-First Century 5 Healing the Past in the Present 6 Religion, Spirituality, and African American Folk Healing 7 Hoodoo, Conjure, and Folk Healing Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index About the Author
