Overview

Black Americans are more likely than Whites to die of cancer and heart disease, more likely to get diabetes and asthma, and less likely to get preventive care and screening. Some of this greater morbidity results from education, income level, and environment as well as access to health care. But the traditional medical model does not always allow for a more holistic approach that takes into account the body, the mind, the spirit, the family, and the community. This book offers a better understanding of the varieties of religiously-based approaches to healing and alternative models of healing and health found in Black communities in the United States. Contributors address the communal aspects of faith and health and explore the contexts in which individuals make choices about their health, the roles that institutions play in shaping these decisions, and the practices individuals engage in seeking better health or coping with the health they have. By paying attention to the role of faith, spirit, and health, this book offers a fuller sense of the varieties of ways Black health and health care are perceived and addressed from an inter-religious perspective. Community and religion-based initiatives have emerged as one key way to address the health challenges found in the African American community. In cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, and Oakland, residents organize exercise groups, teach one another how to cook with healthy ingredients, and encourage neighbors to get regular checkups. Churches have become key sites for health education, screening, and testing. Another set of responses to the challenge of Black health and healthcare in the United States comes from those who emphasize the body as a whole—body, mind, soul, and spirit, often drawing on religious traditions such as Islam and African-based religions such as Spiritism, Santeria, Vodun (aka Voodoo), Candomblé, and others. Understanding the issues and the various approaches is essential to combating the problems, and this unique volume sheds light on areas often overlooked when considering the issues.

Full Product Details

Author:   Stephanie Y. Mitchem ,  Emilie M. Townes
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Praeger Publishers Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.510kg
ISBN:  

9780275993757

ISBN 10:   0275993752
Pages:   232
Publication Date:   30 August 2008
Recommended Age:   From 7 to 17 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

"Series Foreword Introduction Part I. Ancestral Songs Chapter 1 Natural/Supernatural: African American Hoodoo Narratives of Sickness and Healing Yvonne Chireau Chapter 2 Holistic Health and Healing: Environmental Racism and Ecological Justice Dwight N. Hopkins Part II. Health and Healing across the Diaspora Chapter 3 Bodies in Time and the Healing of Spaces: Religion, Temporalities, and Health Charles H. Long Chapter 4 Spiritual Illness and Healing: If the Lord Wills Arvilla Payne-Jackson Part III. The Arts of Ritual and Practice Chapter 5 The Marking of the Body, Memory, and the Meaning of Suffering in Phyllis Alesia Perrys Stigmata Carolyn M. Jones Chapter 6 Just Awailing and Aweeping: Grief, Lament, and Hope as We Face the End of Life Emilie M. Townes Chapter 7 Honoring the Body: Ritual of Breath and Breathing C. S'thembile West Part IV. Analyzing Social Realities Chapter 8 The Destruction of Aunt Esters House: Faith, Health, and Healing in the African American Community Terri Baltimore and Mindy Thompson Fullilove Chapter 9 The Unspoken, the Spoken, and Affirmed: Meanings of Healing, Same Gender-Loving African Americans, and Black Churches Linda L. Barnes Part V. Finding/Making Wellness Chapter 10 ""Seeking Help for the Body in the Well Being of the Soul Rosemary Gooden Chapter 11 Too Old for the Club, But Always at Home in the Club: Health, Spirituality, and Social Support Among Adult Black Gay Men in Oaklands Cable Reef D. Mark Wilson Chapter 12 Spiritual Wellness in the Lives of African American Women Stephanie Y. Mitchem Bibliography About the Editors and Contributors"

Reviews

<p> Because residency programs are now recognizing the importance of cultural competency for their trainees, it is crucial that clinicians acknowledge the importance of religion in the health care of their patients. In fact, as more becomes known in this country about how different cultures approach health and wellness, this book, along with the others in the series, will be timely and useful to all involved in health care. FAITH, HEALTH, AND HEALING IN AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE is an excellent guide to the health belief system of a key US community. - <p>Journal of the American Medical Association/JAMA

Faith, Health, and Healing in African American Life magnificently weaves together the experiences and analysis of diverse scholars, from an interreligious perspective to excavate the communal aspects of faith, health (activities that foster healing and wholeness), and healing. This book is a must read for those curious about or committed to the incredible richness and intrigue of studying systems and individuals and how they emerge and have an impact on Black health and health care through multiple faith traditions. -Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan, Ph.D., Professor of Theology and Women's Studies Shaw University Divinity School, Raleigh, NC

Author Information

Stephanie Y. Mitchem is Associate Professor, University of South Carolina. She is the author of African American Women Tapping Power and Spiritual Wellness, Introducing Womanist Theology, and numerous articles and book chapters. Emilie M. Townes is Andrew W. Mellon Professor of African-American Religion and Theology, Yale Divinity School. She is the author or editor of several books including Breaking the Fine Rain of Death: African American Health Care and A Womanist Ethic of Care, Embracing the Spirit: Womanist Perspectives on Hope, Salvation, and Transformation, In a Blaze of Glory: Womanist Spirituality as Social Witness and others, as well as journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, and other publications.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions