Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Theology

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Theology

Harriss, M. Cooper

Hardcover

Series: North American Religions, Book 12

Black American StudiesGeneral Christianity

ISBN10: 1479823015
ISBN13: 9781479823017
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: May 2 2017
Pages: 288
Weight: 1.20
Height: 1.10 Width: 6.20 Depth: 9.10
Language: English

Examines the religious dimensions of Ralph Ellison's concept of race

Ralph Ellison's 1952 novel Invisible Man provides an unforgettable metaphor for what it means to be disregarded in society. While the term invisibility has become shorthand for all forms of marginalization, Ellison was primarily concerned with racial identity. M. Cooper Harriss argues that religion, too, remains relatively invisible within discussions of race and seeks to correct this through a close study of Ralph Ellison's work.

Harriss examines the religious and theological dimensions of Ralph Ellison's concept of race through his evocative metaphor for the experience of blackness in America, and with an eye to uncovering previously unrecognized religious dynamics in Ellison's life and work. Blending religious studies and theology, race theory, and fresh readings of African-American culture, Harriss draws on Ellison to create the concept of an invisible theology, and uses this concept as a basis for discussing religion and racial identity in contemporary American life.

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Theology is the first book to focus on Ellison as a religious figure, and on the religious dynamics of his work. Harriss brings to light Ellison's close friendship with theologian and literary critic Nathan A. Scott, Jr., and places Ellison in context with such legendary religious figures as Reinhold and Richard Niebuhr, Paul Tillich and Martin Luther King, Jr. He argues that historical legacies of invisible theology help us make sense of more recent issues like drone warfare and Clint Eastwood's empty chair.

Rich and innovative, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Theology will revolutionize the way we understand Ellison, the intellectual legacies of race, and the study of religion.

Also in

Black American Studies

View All