Toward a Typology of Black Hebrew Religious Thought and Practice

This article explores the problem of conceptualizing Black Judaism as a religious tradition within the African American community. Briefly outlining the dominant discourse that has framed Black Judaism as primarily a social-political movement couched in Black nationalist-messianic language, it discu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Africana religions 2014-01, Vol.2 (1), p.31-66
Main Author: Key, Andre E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African American studies
African Americans
Analysis
Black communities
Christianity
Hebrews
Holiness
Islam
Judaism
Religion
Religious identity
Religious practices
Theology
Torah
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Summary:This article explores the problem of conceptualizing Black Judaism as a religious tradition within the African American community. Briefly outlining the dominant discourse that has framed Black Judaism as primarily a social-political movement couched in Black nationalist-messianic language, it discusses the need for a definition and conceptualization of Black Judaism that provides an entry into an analysis that does not fall into the discursive trap of legitimacy-focused research. The article offers a definition of Black Judaism that is situated within the larger structure of Black religion, and it explores the importance of nomenclature in regard to ethno-religious identity and religious practice within the diverse threads of Hebrew Israelite religion. Finally, a typological framework is offered for the study of Black Judaism that gives consideration to both theological unity and the diversity of Black Hebrew religious thought and practice.
ISSN:2165-5405
2165-5413
DOI:10.5325/jafrireli.2.1.0031