The Vision
----------------------
Religion in the American West
The topic of religion in the American West remains under-represented in the scholarship on both western history and American religious history. Even more marginalized and under-explored are the religious experiences and responses of minorities in the West for whom constructs of “race” and “ethnicity” have often been employed as descriptive and defining religious, cultural, and legal categories. The intersections of race, ethnicity, and religion have been equally potent in shaping the identities and experiences of the “majority” population. Historically, categories of race and ethnicity seem to have been more fluid and complex in the West than in the East. Consequently, re-imagining race, ethnicity, and religion in the West will enrich our understanding of the historical and contemporary social, political, economic and religious cultures not only of the West but of North America more generally
Back to Top
-----------------------
A Collaborative Project
Arizona State University is initiating a multi-year collaborative and interdisciplinary project that will use the lens of race and ethnicity to re-imagine the religious history of the American West. The project will explore the historical construction of racial, ethnic, and religious categories and identities in the West, with particular attention to (but not limited to) the religious experiences of African-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Jews, Asians, and other minorities—including their interactions with each other and with traditions of the dominant culture. For the purposes of this project, the boundaries of “the West” are intentionally fluid, and are meant to include questions about the shape-shifting nature of the category and concept. When, and for whom, are certain regions included in “the West,” and what significance does the concept of “the West” have for the project’s focus on race, ethnicity, and religion?
Back to Top
-----------------------
Working Groups on Race, Ethnicity and Religion in the West
The project seeks to inspire new scholarship by creating interdisciplinary groups of scholars working in collaboration on topics of race, ethnicity, and religion in the West. Thus, the project will be organized into working groups, each focusing on a broad theme or on a particular religious community. Possible topics include African-American religion(s); Native American religion(s); Asian American religion(s); Hispanic religion(s); Religion and Whiteness; Race and Religion on the Borderlands; Gender, Race, and Ethnicity; or the dynamics of race and ethnicity in relation to Islam, Catholicism, or the LDS. Each of these working groups may ultimately produce its own conference and/or publication(s). To ensure theoretical cross-fertilization across working groups, an annual conference will bring together all project participants. The ultimate shape and extent of the project will depend on external funding (applications pending) and on the interests of project participants.
Back to Top
|
