The Dreamer and the Dream: Afrofuturism and Black Religious Thought

In The Dreamer and the Dream: Afrofuturism and Black Religious Thought, Roger A. Sneed illuminates the interplay of Black religious thought with science fiction narratives to present a bold case for Afrofuturism as an important channel for Black spirituality. In the process, he challenges the assumed primacy of the Black church as the arbiter of Black religious life. Incorporating analyses of Octavia Butler's Parable books, Janelle Monáe's Afrofuturistic saga, Star Trek's Captain Benjamin Sisko, Marvel's Black Panther, and Sun Ra and the Nation of Islam, Sneed demonstrates how Afrofuturism has contributed to Black visions of the future. He also investigates how Afrofuturism has influenced religious scholarship that looks to Black cultural production as a means of reimagining Blackness in the light of the sacred. The result is an expansive new look at the power of science fiction and Afrofuturism to center the diversity of Black spirituality.

ISBN-13: 9780814258064

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Ohio State University Press

Publication Date: 10-06-2021

Pages: 184

Product Dimensions: 8.98h x 5.91w x 0.55d

Series: New Suns: Race, Gender, and Sexuality

Roger A. Sneed is Professor and Chair of Religion at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.