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African American Religion and Philosophy:
A Research Guide

TIP: Check the availability of a book or a journal's years of coverage by following the designated hyperlink following the entry. If a resource is found only in a reference collection, there will be no hyperlink to follow, as this material is for library use only and cannot be checked out.


History & Anthologies (Religion) Back to top

Davis, Lenwood G. A History of Black Religion in Northern Areas: A Preliminary Survey. Vol. 734. Monticello, Ill.: Council of Planning Librarians, 1975.
Davis, House Undergraduate, Z5942 .C68 no. 734
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---. A History of Black Religion in Southern Areas: A Preliminary Survey. Vol. 733. Monticello, Ill.: Council of Planning Librarians, 1975.
Davis, House Undergraduate, Z5942 .C68 no. 733
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Frazier, Edward Franklin, and C. Eric Lincoln. The Negro Church in America. New York: Schocken Books, 1974.
Davis, House Undergraduate, BR563.N4 F7 1974
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Fulop, Timothy Earl, and Albert J. Raboteau. African-American Religion: Interpretive Essays in History and Culture. New York: Routledge, 1997.
Stone Center Library, Davis, BR563.N4 A356 1997
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Pinn, Anne H., and Anthony B. Pinn. Fortress Introduction to Black Church History. Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress Press, 2002.
Davis, BR563.N4 P48 2002
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Raboteau, Albert J. Canaan Land: A Religious History of African Americans. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Stone Center Library, House Undergraduate, BR563.N4 R236 2001
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Sernett, Milton C. African American Religious History: A Documentary Witness. 2nd ed. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1999.
Stone Center Library, Davis, House Undergraduate, BR563.N4 A359 1999
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West, Cornel, and Eddie S. Glaude. African American Religious Thought: An Anthology. 1st ed. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
Stone Center Library, Davis, Undergraduate, BR563.N4 A364 2003
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Wilmore, Gayraud S., and James H. Cone. Black Theology: A Documentary History. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1979.
Davis, House Undergraduate, BT82.7 .B56
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Wimbush, Vincent L. The Bible and African Americans: A Brief History. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003.
Stone Center Library, Davis, BR563.N4 W5525 2003
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Woodson, Carter Godwin. The History of the Negro Church. 3rd ed. Washington, D.C.: Associated Publishers, 1985.
Davis, BR563.N4 W6 1985
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History & Anthologies (Philosophy) Back to top

Allen, Norm R. African-American Humanism: An Anthology. Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1991.
Davis, B821 .A36 1991
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Frye, Charles A. Level Three: A Black Philosophy Reader. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1980.
Davis, CB235 .L48
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Gordon, Lewis R. Existence in Black: An Anthology of Black Existential Philosophy. New York: Routledge, 1997.
Davis, B936 .E85 1997
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---. Existentia Africana: Understanding Africana Existential Thought. Africana Thought. New York: Routledge, 2000.
Stone Center Library, Davis, B944.A37 G67 2000
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Harris, Leonard. Philosophy Born of Struggle: Anthology of Afro-American Philosophy from 1917. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co., 1983.
Davis, House Undergraduate, E185 .P46 1983
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Hord, Fred L., and Jonathan Scott Lee. I Am Because We Are: Readings in Black Philosophy. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1995.
Davis, DT15 .I15 1995
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Johnston, Percy Edward. Afro American Philosophies: Selected Readings, from Jupiter Hammon to Eugene C. Holmes. Upper Montclair, N.J.: Montclair State College Press, 1970.
Davis, E185.625 .A376 1970
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Lott, Tommy Lee. African-American Philosophy: Selected Readings. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2002.
Davis, House Undergraduate, E184.6 .A335 2002
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Lott, Tommy Lee, and John P. Pittman. A Companion to African-American Philosophy. Blackwell Companions to Philosophy; 25. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2003.
Stone Center Library Reference, Davis, B944.A37 C66 2003
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Mills, Charles W. Blackness Visible: Essays on Philosophy and Race. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1998.
Stone Center Library, Davis, House Undergraduate, E185.615 .M54 1998
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Montmarquet, James A., and William H. Hardy. Reflections: An Anthology of African American Philosophy. Australia; Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2000.
Davis, B944.A37 R44 2000
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Pinn, Anthony B. By These Hands: A Documentary History of African American Humanism. New York: New York University Press, 2001.
Stone Center Library, Davis, B821 .B9 2001
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Yancy, George. African-American Philosophers: 17 Conversations. New York: Routledge, 1998.
Stone Center Library, Davis, House Undergraduate, B944.A37 A37 1998
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Zack, Naomi. Women of Color and Philosophy: A Critical Reader. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers, 2000.
Davis, B105.W6 W64 2000
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Encyclopedias & Directories Back to top

Glazier, Stephen D. The Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions. New York: Routledge, 2001.
Stone Center Library, Davis Reference, House Undergraduate Reference, BL2462.5 .E53 2001
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McMickle, Marvin Andrew. An Encyclopedia of African American Christian Heritage. Valley Forge: Judson Press, 2002.
Stone Center Library Reference, Davis Reference, BR563.N4 M353 2002

Murphy, Larry, J. Gordon Melton, and Gary L. Ward. Encyclopedia of African American Religions. Vol. ol. 721. New York: Garland Pub., 1993.
House Undergraduate Reference, BR563.N4 E53 1993

Payne, Wardell J., and Howard University. Research Center on Black Religious Bodies.Directory of African American Religious Bodies : A Compendium by the Howard University School of Divinity. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: Howard University Press, 1995.
Stone Center Library Reference, Davis, Davis Reference, House Undergraduate Reference, BR563.N4 D57 1995
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Bibliography Back to top

Evans, James H., and G. E. Gorman. Black Theology: A Critical Assessment and Annotated Bibliography. Vol. 10. New York: Greenwood Press, 1987.
Davis, House Undergraduate, Z7774 .E9 1987
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Leffall, Dolores C. The Black Church; an Annotated Bibliography. Washington: Minority Research Center, 1973.
Davis Reference, Z1361.N39 L383

Richardson, Marilyn. Black Women and Religion: A Bibliography. Boston, Mass.: G. K. Hall, 1980.
Davis, Davis Reference, Z1361.N39 R53
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Williams, Ethel L., Clifton F. Brown, and Howard University. The Howard University Bibliography of African and Afro- American Religious Studies: With Locations in American Libraries. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources, 1977.
Davis Reference, Z1361.N39 W555


Databases Back to top

ATLA Religion Database
Coverage: 1949 to Present
The ATLA Religion Database indexes journal articles, book and collected essays in all fields of religion from1949 to the present. The index was developed to support religious and theological scholarship in graduate education and faculty research. ATLA covers over 1,400 journals, including over 600 being currently indexed, and nearly 16,000 collections of essays.

Philosopher's Index
Coverage: 1940 to Present
Philosopher's Indexes books and journals in the areas of ethics, aesthetics, social philosophy, political philosophy, epistemology, and metaphysic logic as well as material on the philosophy of law, religion, science, history, education, and language.

Academic Search Premier
Coverage: Indexing 1984 to Present; Full-text, 1990-present
This database provides information from a wide range of academic areas including business, social sciences, humanities, general academic, general science, education and multi-cultural topics. Academic Search Elite features full-text for over 1,000 journals with many dating back to 1990, abstracts and indexing for over 3,200 scholarly journals, and coverage of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Christian Science Monitor. It also includes coverage of over 1,700 peer-reviewed journals.

Index Islamicus
Coverage: 1906 to Present
"The international classified bibliography of publications in European languages on all aspects of Islam and the Muslim world". These materials, from about 2500 periodicals worldwide, include journal articles, books, reviews, papers, and multi-author works. The authors are Western scholars and Muslims writing in European languages.

International Index to Black Periodicals
Coverage: Varies, with oldest citations from 1902
"Includes current and retrospective bibliographic citations and abstracts from over 150 scholarly and popular journals, newspapers, and newsletters from the US, Africa, and the Caribbean--and full-text coverage of 40 core Black Studies periodicals (1998 forward)". Subject coverage is wide-ranging and multidisciplinary, crossing the humanities and the social sciences as they relate to Black Studies.


Websites Back to top

The Church in the Southern Black Community 1780-1925
A compilation of printed texts and images from the libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This resource traces how Southern African Americans experienced and transformed Protestant Christianity into the central institution of community life.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church
This website features sections on the AME history, organizational structure, and missionary work. The site provides links to the church's newspaper, as well as its worldwide regional offices and institutions operated by this Christian denomination.

The Nation of Islam
NOI's site provides a history of the organization, biographies of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Minister Louis Farrakhan, a statement of "What the Muslims Want" (in The Muslim Program) and other official statements, essays and links, and a directory of mosques and study groups in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

The National Baptist Convention of America
The NBCA's mission is "to promote and support Christian education, Christian missions and church extension through the combined efforts of Baptist churches." The group's website features its history, an events calendar, and an online bookstore.

The National Baptist Convention, USA
The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest African American religious convention with an estimated 7.5 million members. The site includes a history of the National Baptist Convention, the Baptist faith and message, and a directory of NBC web resources.

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

National Black Catholic Congress

African-American Mennonite History

African American Moravians in North Carolina

Union of Black Episcopalians


Sample Subject Headings and Library Catalogs Back to top

The hyperlinks listed below are subject headings found in the UNC-Chapel Hill Catalog. These headings can be used with other library catalogs such as WorldCat (OCLC), which includes the holdings of U.S. and international libraries.

African American philosophers
African American philosophy
African American -- Intellectual life

African American Churches
African American Clergy
African American Preaching
African American Public Worship
African American Women Clergy
African American women -- Religious life

African Americans -- Religion
African Americans -- Religion -- 19th century
African Americans -- Religion -- 20th century
African Americans -- Religion -- Anecdotes
African Americans -- Religion -- Bibliography
African Americans -- Religion -- Encyclopedias
African Americans -- Religion -- History
African Americans -- Religion -- Sermons
African Americans -- Religion -- Sources

African Americans -- Religious life
African Americans -- Religious life and customs

African Methodist Episcopal Church

Black Theology
Blacks -- Religion

Liberation Theology -- United States
Muslims, Black -- America -- History

 

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This page was last updated Wednesday, February 22, 2012.