Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2014 A Luminous Brotherhood: Afro-Creole Spiritualism in Nineteenth Century New Orleans Emily Suzanne Clark Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact
[email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES A LUMINOUS BROTHERHOOD: AFRO-CREOLE SPIRITUALISM IN NINETEENTH- CENTURY NEW ORLEANS By EMILY SUZANNE CLARK A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2014 Emily Suzanne Clark defended this dissertation on March 26, 2014. The members of the supervisory committee were: John Corrigan Professor Directing Dissertation David Kirby University Representative Amanda Porterfield Committee Member Martin Kavka Committee Member Michael McVicar Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii To my spirit guides: Ross, Ruth, Dean, and Roberta iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It seems standard-fare to begin a dissertation’s acknowledgements by admitting that the author could not have completed it alone. This one is no different. I am incredibly grateful to my committee: John Corrigan, Amanda Porterfield, Martin Kavka, Michael McVicar, and David Kirby. John Corrigan was a wonderful advisor—encouraging, critical, and supportive. Graduate courses with him, Amanda Porterfield, Amy Koehlinger, and Chip Callahan helped shape the way I think about religion in America. They have made me a better scholar and they have been wonderful mentors, along with Ed Blum and Paul Harvey.