Spirits of empire : how settler colonialism made American religion / Tisa Wenger.
| Author/creator | Wenger, Tisa Joy, 1969- author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, [2026] |
| Description | 354 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | The imperial foundations of American religion -- The Shawnee imposter: indigenous futures and secular subjects in the War of 1812 -- What hope for religion! Imperial Catholicism in Anishinaabewaki -- The principle of benevolence: Baptist feelings and good religion under US empire -- The want of a preacher: law, science, and religion in Sault Ste. Marie -- The Great Spirit is angry: new formations of Anishinaabe religion -- The spirit of our government: managing religion in a settler state -- He is called a prophet: making religion on Kickapoo lands -- The place for the city of Zion: Latter-Day Saints and secularism's disciplinary force -- Imperial enchantments: religious studies and colonial extraction -- Settler secularism and American religion. |
| Abstract | "The Declaration of Independence depicted Native Americans as bloodthirsty savages, and from its founding the United States aimed to expand westward by seizing Indigenous lands. While white settlers saw these conquests as victories for 'true religion,' native people invoked the spirits in their own defense. Some claimed the powers of Christianity, while others drew on the English-language concept of religion to redefine their own ancestral traditions. As all sorts of people struggled to make their way within this new empire, a broad variety of new religious movements emerged. In this groundbreaking book, historian Tisa Wenger shows how the history of American religion unfolded on these settler colonial foundations. The imperatives of US empire, she argues, shaped the category and traditions of what we know as religion. Wenger also introduces the concept of 'settler secularism' to explain how white settlers defined and managed religion in their own image, in order to facilitate their own rule. She shows how the concept of 'religion' - whether as a special thing that requires protection or a mark of the primitive that must be transcended - has most often served the interests of those in power. Ultimately, settler colonialism organized American religion and created religious hierarchies that still influence the United States today"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Issued in other form | ebook version : 9781469693651 |
| LCCN | 2025041371 |
| ISBN | 9781469693620 hardcover |
| ISBN | 1469693623 hardcover |
| ISBN | electronic book |
| ISBN | electronic book |
| ISBN | electronic book |
| Standard identifier# | CIPO000336988 |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | New Books | BR516 .W435 2026 | ✔ Available | Want This? |