Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions
"Chosen Peopleis unique in placing Black Israelite religions in the complex context of American history and is the most comprehensive work of scholarship on this topic...No one attempting to understand the rise of Black Israelite religions in America can afford to do withoutChosen People." --Jewish Review of Books"Chosen Peopleoffers a fascinating look at Black Israelites, people who resided in the interstices of groups and ideas we commonly separate-Blacks and Jews, religion and politics, history and identity, cultural theory and historical documentation, Christians and Jews. Dorman situates his subjects in an incredibly rich context, illuminating not only those African Americans who believed in the blackness of the ancient Hebrews, but also the many social, political, and cultural forces operating in post-emancipation African American history. It is fascinating reading for anyone interested in American religion, history, or culture."--Cheryl Greenberg, Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of History, Trinity College"Jacob Dorman has written a masterful (even paradigm-shifting) book on Black Judaism, a genuinetour de force. Carefully combining a close reading of primary artifacts/evidence with substantive life-history interviews, critiques/re-readings of various secondary literatures, and even a healthy dash of what I'd call a decidedly ethnographic sensibility, Dorman has crafted a powerful and meticulous portrait of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century Black Jewish leaders who institutionalized versions of Black Judaic subjectivity in the United States that can still boast many adherents all around the country and the world today.Chosen Peopleis an engaging and thoughtful read for students and scholars of Jewish studies, Africana studies, religious studies, and American history."--John L. Jackson, Jr., Richard Perry University Professor of Communication and Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania"Jacob Dorman has not only established himself as the leading historian on Black Israelites, but has made an immense contribution to our understanding of the African Diaspora, religion and modernity, and the vexing problem of cultural identity. The research is prodigious, the scope impressive, and his telling of how African-descended people embraced and transformed Judaism is truly dynamic. Most importantly,Chosen Peoplereminds us that people are not merely inheritors of tradition but its creators."--Robin D. G. Kelley, author ofFreedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination"Jacob Dorman extends historical narratives of African American religion beyond 'Black Jews' to the kinship between Black Israelites, Ethiopians, Rastafarians, and Holiness-Pentecostal Christians, with Freemasons, Conjurers and Mystic Scientists forming a bricolage of ideational, rather than hereditary, traditions. This is a fascinating study that shifts models of African American cultural transmission and religious innovation from 'roots' to 'rhizomes,' and from 'syncretism' to 'polyculturalism.'"--Yvonne Chireau, co-editor ofBlack Zion: African American Religious Encounters withJudaism"Dorman's book draws an intricate web of connections between Israelites, black Jews, Holiness, Pentecostal, and Anglo-Israelite groups, all with a skilled reading of the meaning of religious symbols." --Religion in American History