Critical Introduction to Religion in the Americas

A Critical Introduction to Religion inthe Americas arguesthat we cannot understand religion in the Americas without understanding itsmarginalized communities. Despite frequently voiced doubts among religiousstudies scholars, it makes the case that theology, and particularly liberationtheology, is still useful, but it must be reframed to attend to the ways inwhich religion is actually experienced on the ground. That is, a liberationtheology that assumes a need to work on behalf of the poor can seem out oftouch with a population experiencing huge Pentecostal and Charismatic growth,where the focus is not on inequality or social action but on individualrelationships with the divine.Bydrawing on a combination of historical and ethnographic sources, this volume providesa basic introduction to the study of religion and theology in the Latino/a,Black, and Latin American contexts, and then shows how theology can be reframedto better speak to the concerns of both religious studies and the real peoplethe theologians' work is meant to represent. Informed bythe dialogue partners explored throughout the text, this volume presents ahemispheric approach to discussing lived religious movements. While notdismissive of liberation theologies, this approach is critical of their pastand offers challenges to their future as well as suggestions for preventingtheir untimely demise. It is clear that the liberation theologies of tomorrowcannot look like the liberation theologies of today.

Franklin has penned a valuable book that examines the changing context of youth activism in the post-civil rights era...The book closes by explaining how the issues of today are linked to the past, with particular attention to juvenile justice and the labor movement. This is extraordinarily difficult to do, and the author does it withgreat ease . . . A progressive and valuable book., Thoroughly interrogates methodological presuppositions in contemporary studies of theology and religion. I strongly recommend this book to scholars from either discipline who desire to honestly appraise how we investigate our subjects and what we intend to accomplish in our work., Gonzalezs work is provocative. Her introduction to Latin American, Black, and Latino/a liberation theologies is sharply critical., A great resource for introducing the interdisciplinary study of religion in the Americas, with a focus on the relevance of the reflected faith experience and religious practices of marginalized populations for the academic study of religion. Presenting a hemispheric landscape, this book argues for constructive relationships and collaborative methodologies between theology and religious studies in the interest of both engaging todays lived religion and affirming the necessity of Liberation Theologies in todays world.

Michelle A. Gonzalez is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Miami and author of Afro-Cuban Theology: Religion, Race, Culture, and Identity.