"A Rare Human Document": LoBagola's African American Humbug Religion

[In this essay I present the case of Baltimore native Joseph Howard Lee, whose self-presentation in the 1920s and 1930s as the West African Jew Bata Kindai Amgoza ibn LoBagola, captured the attention of white American consumers of his lectures and writings that purported to offer insight into Africa...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Weisenfeld, Judith (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Indiana University Press 2019
In: American religion
Year: 2019, Volume: 1, Issue: 1, Pages: 27-48
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:[In this essay I present the case of Baltimore native Joseph Howard Lee, whose self-presentation in the 1920s and 1930s as the West African Jew Bata Kindai Amgoza ibn LoBagola, captured the attention of white American consumers of his lectures and writings that purported to offer insight into African religions, culture, and history. I propose that viewing his career not only as one of imposture, but also as involving religious humbug, brings his performative critique of white Christian America to the fore. Locating such religious humbug within the bounds of the study of religion in America challenges scholars to engage African American religious history in more complex ways than the conventional deployment of Black religion as moral prod to the conscience of white America.]
ISSN:2643-9247
Contains:Enthalten in: American religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2979/amerreli.1.1.03