DIVERSITY MATTERS

What happens to historical narratives about Spiritualism when some voices are left out? Can these voices be unmuted? And if so, how can they be used to create a more inclusive history of the movement? In this workshop, you will wrestle with these very questions by taking a close look at some of the early contributions of African Americans to the Spiritualist Movement. Specifically, in this workshop you will: 

Explore artifacts drawn from historical archives; 

identify key contributions of early African American Spiritualists; 

create a visual “storyboard” that presents a more inclusive history of the Spiritualist movement.

Bio: Margarita Simon Guillory teaches courses on American religious history, digital religion, and religion and popular culture. Her research interests include American Spiritualism, identity construction in African American religion, and technological impact on religious expression. She is the author of Social and Spiritual Transformation in African American Spiritual Churches and co-editor of Esotericism in African American Religious Experience. She has published articles in the Journal of Gnostic Studies, Culture and Religion, and Pastoral Psychology.