African American religious life is not defined by just the “Negro church”—the preacher, music, and the frenzy—but consists of all the varied religious practices that occur within black communities in the United States. African American religion emerges in the encounter between faith, in all of its complexity, and white supremacy. ‘The Category of "African American Religion"’ explains the three key ideas used to organize the study of African American religion: practice of freedom, sign of difference, and open-ended orientation. Taken together, and using three representative examples of African American religion (conjure, Christianity, and Islam), they help us navigate the complex religious history of African Americans in the United States.
