In the eighteenth and nineteenth centu-ries great numbers of the Yorubawere sold into slavery in Cuba to work in the sugar industry. Forced to convert to Catholicism, they kept their African reli-gion alive ....

Santeria: An African Religion in America

Politics & Social Sciences

Murphy, Joseph M.

Social Sciences

Beacon Press

Santería represents the first in-depth, scholarly account of a profound way of wisdom that is growing in importance in America today. A professional academic and himself a participant in the Santeríacommunity of the Bronx for several years, Joseph Murphy offers a powerful description and insightful analysis of this African/Cuban religion. He traces the survival of an ancient spiritual path from its West African Yoruba origins, through nearly two centuries of slavery in the New World, to its presence in the urban centers of the United States, where it continues to inspire seekers with its compelling vision.

Murray, Joseph M.

Santeria: African Spirits in America

History

World

Analyzing the practice of five religious traditions of the African diaspora in America, the author of Santeri+a7a traces the history, rituals, and influence of Vodun, Candomble+a7, Revival Zion, Sateri+a7a, and the Black Church.

Working the Spirit: Ceremonies of the African Diaspora

Religion & Spirituality

Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts

Beacon Pr

"An appreciative and user-friendly book on religion in the African diaspora. Murphy's skillfully drawn portraits offer an inviting introduction to the religious worlds of Vodou, Candomble, Santeria, Revival Zion, and the Black Church" – David W. Wills, Amherst College

Business & Money

Original Pubns

Botánicas is an exploration in text and photographs of spiritual shops found in Latino neighborhoods throughout the United States. Readers discover these marvelous spaces and their alternative spiritualties that help patrons cope with the grind and challenges of city life. Botánicas provide access to an array of invisible powers and sell the ingredients to construct symbolic solutions to their patrons' problems. The stores are bright and baroque, and the powers they invoke come from religious traditions in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the native Americas. In Botánicas, Joseph M. Murphy offers a cultural history of the devotions on display and a reflection on the efficacy of their powers to heal. Readers will come to see that the goods and devotions of botánicas give their patrons--mostly Latino, often immigrants--pathways for empowerment and transformation.
The name botánicas comes from the "botanicals" for sale, herbs and plants with healing powers. The pharmacopeia of botánicas can be vast, and owners may know hundreds of remedies for treating problems of health, wealth, and love. Botánicas vend herbs for upset stomach, herbs for finding a job, and herbs for wooing back a wayward spouse. Supplementing these medicinal and magical plants, botánicas sell candles, holy statues, and tools for devotion to an array of spiritual powers--Catholic saints, African gods, indigenous spirits, and Asian divinities. Each spirit has its own ritual of petition, and botánica owners can discern the proper offerings and prayers to help the supplicant.
Murphy explains the religions of the botánica with subtlety and sensitivity. He gives readers a deep sense of the contexts of the stores and a sophisticated analysis of the religious traditions that suffuse them. Visually fascinating, culturally rich, and religiously profound, Botánicas is a window into a world of beauty and power.

Botánicas: Sacred Spaces of Healing and Devotion in Urban America

UNIVERSITY PRESS OF MISSISSIPPI

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Books by Murphy, Joseph M.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Murphy, Joseph M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Santeria: An African Religion in America

Santeria: An African Religion in America

Santeria: African Spirits in America

Working the Spirit: Ceremonies of the African Diaspora

Working the Spirit: Ceremonies of the African Diaspora

Santeria: An African Religion in America

Botánicas: Sacred Spaces of Healing and Devotion in Urban America