Sweaty Bodies in a Circle: Thoughts on the Subtle Dimensions of Black Religion as Protest

Anthony Pinn
2006 Black Theology  
Carrying a Black body through this rather absurd world has not simply involved negative socio-political and economic arrangements for African Americans. Those who give careful consideration to the manner in which Black bodies move, occupy space, as well as the fluids issuing from them, will have noted the way in which the bodies also give off signs of resistance. In this article I pay attention to the manner in which sweat has served as a theological marker, as a sign of interaction with the
more » ... ine. This sign in turn has served to signify popular depictions of Black bodies as having little beauty and value. Allow me to establish the context for this essay by suggesting that Black religion can be understood as an impulse or quest for complex subjectivity, a push for a fuller sense of being or wholeness. It involves an attempt to wrestle through a troubled world and in the process gain a deeper sense of meaning within the context of community. Churches and other organizations represent the historical manifestation of this impulse or quest. Furthermore, the study of Black religion has involved on some level the description and critique of the manner in which historical manifestations of this impulse have pushed for complex subjectivity through various forms of social protest. This is the case, I believe, with studies such as Frazier,
doi:10.1558/blth.2006.4.1.11 fatcat:nuvbkrf5nzcydb3x5eojuhh4la