AMST-A100 1st Edition Lecture 18 Outline of Last Lecture I. Readings for this week & nextII. African diaspora religions (ADRs)a. Importanceb. OverviewIII. ADR Basicsa. Cosmologyb. Practices Outline of Current Lecture I. Appropriation (Keyword)II. ADRs, American studies and the history of the AmericasIII. HaleCurrent LectureCultural Appropriation - Refers to one group adopting elements of the culture of another group- When the group that is doing the adopting is subordinate, this is often referred to as acculturation or assimilation.- When the group that is doing the adopting is dominant, the adopters are sometimes referred to disparagingly as “wannabes” or “culture vultures”o EX) Young hipsters begin to adopt bowling. Conflict/tensions arises between league bowlers and hipster bowlers.- All of this raises questions that have no easy answers:o How do we define who belongs to what group?o Is culture a possession that groups have rights to?These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- In any case, cultural appropriation must be understood in the context of unequal power relationso EX) Guarani Shamanism are involved in re-contextualizing their spiritual practicesthat fits the expectations of white middle class seekers (Selka, 5). ADRs and American Studies- American studies concerns the critical analysis of culture and society in the Americas. As we have seen so far, the “critical” entails a focus on social relations (race, class, gender), ideology (founding myths), nationalism and transnationalism.- The whole history of the Americas is encoded in ADRso They were born in the crucible of the transatlantic slave trade and plantation agriculture, both of which laid the foundation for American societies o Voodoo was invoked as a justification for the occupation of Haiti in the early 20th century (less than 1% of people in the U.S. practice ADRs)o Today ADRs are central to debates about race and nation in the Americas, particularly in Latin America (Selka, 7).- What does Christian identity have to do with being American?Lindsay Hale’s book “Hearing the Mermaid’s Song”- .5 million slaves were brought to North America between 1650-1860- Relatively small compared to 5 million slaves who were brought to Brazil during that same time period- 4.5 million were taken to the West Indies - Most of the Africans brought to the Americas came from the north west part of Africa (around present day Nigeria)- Africa is not a monolithic or unitary placeo The Africans who came the Americas spoke very different languages and practiced different religions and came from different areas.- Voodoo religion is looked at as being sinister and dark, or the opposite of rationality- Voodoo economics: a set of economic policies that seemed to work by magic with no rationality - ADRs are not ancient or primitive, it was brought about around the beginning of modernity (when Europeans colonized America)- They do other things as well:o Watching soap operaso Smoking cigarso BINGO- People who practice these religions are like everyday people who use cellphones and areon Facebook
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