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RICE UNIVERSITY Creating Selves: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Self and Creativity in African American Religion by Margarita Simon Guillory A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE Doctor of Philosophy C Elias K. Bongmba, Harry and Hazel Chavanne Chair in Christian Theology and Professor of Religious Studies ~~ M?chael O. Emerson, Allyn R. & \ Gladys M. Cline Professor of Sociology Wi~&'tOCiate Professor Religious Studies HOUSTON, TEXAS MAY 2011 Copyright Margarita Simon Guillory 2011 ABSTRACT Creating Selves: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Self and Creativity in African American Religion by Margarita Simon Guillory African American religious studies has offered a selective treatment of self. In such discourse, self is equated to a collective identity solely premised upon liberation from multidimensional forms of social oppression, such as racism, sexism, and c1assism. This dissertation, unlike previous treatments, offers a multidimensional model of self. Specifically, it argues that African American religion serves as viable outlets for the expression of multiple forms of self-personal, collective, and dynamical selves. An interdisciplinary approach consisting of social psychology, object relations theory, and anthropology of religion is used to examine various self formations among adherents in African American Spiritual(ist) churches in New Orleans. Results from these analyses reveal an inextricable interconnectedness between religion, creativity, and self expression. Namely, New Orleans Spiritual(ist) churches serve as outlets in which individual adherents utilize creative acts/products to express various views of themselves. These results move scholarly treatments of self in African American religious studies beyond a collective point of view by offering a multidimensional model of self premised notions of collectivity, individuality, and fluidity. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is the result of a process characterized by moments of joy, pain, fatigue, and exuberance. Family and colleagues provided me much needed support during the ups and down of this writing process. I would like to fIrst thank Linus Guillory, my friendlhusband, for encouraging me to write even when I was tired, for wiping my tears during those tough moments, and, most importantly, for laughing with (and sometimes at) me throughout this entire process. My mother (Ola Simon), brother (Tim Simon), dad (Lester Simon), step-mom/friend (Eileen Maloney-Simon) constantly reminded me that the completion of this project was a "family affair." I will be forever grateful for their uplifting words. I would like to also thank my godmother Lee Campbell for her support during this process. Lastly, I offer thanks to my ancestral fIgures, Dr. Granville and Mrs. Maxine Sawyer, Camilla Simon, Louise Sales, and Kiah Edwards, for providing me with protection and strength during this season of my life. To each of them, I dedicate this dissertation. In addition to family, I received a considerable amount of support from my co laborers and colleagues. First, I would like to thank the DREAM team-Stephen Finley, Torin Alexander, Derek Hicks, Paul Easterling, Terri Laws, Aundrea Matthews, Jonathan Chism, Jason Jeffries, Chris Driscoll, Darrius Hills, and Biko Gray. Each of them, in their own unique way, made invaluable contributions to the development and manifestation of this dissertation. Secondly, I extend thanks to Drs. Elias Bongmba and William Parsons for helping me to think through ritual dynamics and psychological methods, respectively. Lastly, I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Anthony Pinn. His patience, commitment, dedication, guidance, and great sense of humor served as driving forces that propelled me iii to press forward in the good, bad, and ugly of this writing process. It is because of him that I had and will continue to have "strength for the journey." iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION: AN EXPLORATION OF SELF IN AFRICAN AMERICAN ~~I(;I()1J~ ~1r1ln[)~~ ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1 PRIMARY ARGlJMENT ...........................................................2 13R~~ ~I1r~1r~ FtI!~~ ..................................................3 ~A YOm O~ CHAP'fERS ........................................................ 10 CHAPTER 1: "FIXED" FUNCTION: A mSTORICAL MAPPING OF THE FIXING OF FUNCTION IN THE SOCIOLOGY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ~~I(;I()~ ..................•........................................•............... 15 mS1rORIC& MAPPING O~ 1rHE SOCIO~OGY O~ ~ICAN AMERICAN FtI!~IGION ........................................................................... 16 W.E.B. Du Bois: Pioneer ofSociology of (African American) Religion ..................................................................... 16 The Chicago School: Urban Sociology and the Study of Negro Religion ............................................................ 23 Expanding the Sociology ofAfrican American Religion: C. Eric Lincoln, Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, and Sandra Barnes ..............32 1rHE DU 130ISIAN ~ AND 1rHE DEVELOPMENT O~ A S1rORYUNE O~ ~C1rION&I1rY .................................................................44 IN-~G 1rHE INDIVIDU&: RELIGIOUS ~CnON&I1rY AND SE~~- INTERPFtI!1r A1rIONS ................................................... , ..........49 CHAPTER 2: C~ATING SELVES: EMPLOYING A THEORY OF SELF AND C~ATIVITY TO EXTEND AFRICAN AMERICAN ~LIGIOUS 1f~<:1rI()~ALITY •••••••...••••••••••••••••...•.•••••••••••••••••••••..•••..•....• 53 PUSH AND P~~: DESIFtI!, HUMAN ACnON, AND ~1rIP~ NonONS O~ S~ ..................................................................................55 1rHE PERSON& SE~~: D~INING ONESE~~ 1rHROUGH SEPARA1rION .......................................................................57 1rHE CO~~CnVE SELF: DE~INING ONESE~~ 1rHROUGH ~CA1rION ......................................................................59 COMPE1rING SE~VES: ~CnON& AN1r AGONISM 13E1r~EN PERSON& AND CO~C1rIVE SaVES .................................... 61 1rHE DYNAMIC& S~: DE~INING ONES~ 1rHROUGH INTERSEC1rION&I1rY ............................................................64 Ftl!UGION "AS" CFtI!A1rIVE MEDIUM ~OR 1rHE EXPFtI!SSION O~ ~ 1rIP~E sa~-INTERPFtI!1r A1rIONS .......................................................68 CHAPTER 3: SPIRITUALISM IN THE "BIG EASY": A mSTORICAL NARRATIVE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN SPIRITUAL(IST) CHURHCES OF ~~ ()~~~~ ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• II() v MOTHER LEAFY ANDERSON: FOUNDER OF NEW ORLEANS SPIRITUALIST CHURCIiES ........................................................................... 81 THREE MOTHERS: EXPANSION OF NEW ORLEANS SPIRITUALIST CHURCIiES THROUGH MOTHERS SEALS, FRANCIS, AND HYDE ....................91 Mother Catherine Seals' "Manger" and the Church of Innocent Blood.. .............................................................92 Mother Kate Francis and St. Michael Temple, No.1 .................. 98 Mother Clara James Hyde as Conjurer, Spiritualist, and Woman ofScripture ........................................................ 103 DNINE SPIRITUALIST CHURCIiES OF TIiE SOUfHWEST AND TIiE CHRISTIANIZATION OF SPIRITUALIST CHURCIiES .................... 106 ARCHBISHOPS E. J. JOHNSON AND LYDIA GILFORD: TIiE EMERGENCE OF NEW SPIRITUALIST ASSOCIATIONS ........................................ 111 Archbishop Ernest J. Johnson and Israel Universal Divine Spiritual Churches of Christ .............................................. 112 Archbishop Lydia Beatrice Gilford and Infant Jesus of Prague Spiritual Church ............................................................ 121 NEW ORLEANS SPIRITUAL CHURCIiES FROM 1990 THROUGH TIiE TURN OF TIiE CENTURY...................................................................... 129 NEW ORLEANS SPIRITUAL CHURCIiES AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA ............................................................ 131 CHAPTER 4: SINGLE SYMBOL, MULTIPLE SELVES: THE USE OF BLACK HAWK IN EXPRESSING PERSONAL, COLLECTIVE, AND DYNAMICAL ~~~VE~ ................................................................................. 1~1 BLACK HAWK: A "MASTER SYMBOL" IN NEW ORLEANS SPIRITUAL(IST) CHURCIiES ........................................................................... 142 A SPIRITUAL BIOGRAPHY OF BISHOP DANIEL WILLIAM JACKSON .............................................................................. 155 BLACK HAWK SERVICE AT ST. DANIEL SPIRITUAL CHURCH, NO. 1 ...................................................................... 161 ANALYSIS OF BLACK HAWK SERVICE AT ST. DANIEL SPIRITUAL CHURCH, NO. 1 .................................................................................... 164 BLACK HAWK RITUAL OF FELLLOWSHIP AT ST. DANIEL SPIRITUAL CHURCH, NO. 1 ....................................................................... 170 ANALYSIS OF BLACK HAWK RITUAL OF FELLLOWSHIP AT ST. DANIEL SPIRITUAL CHURCH, NO. 1.. .................................................... 175 BLACK HAWK IiEALING RITUAL AT BISHOP DANIEL JACKSON'S "WORKING ALTAR" ................................................................................. 178 ANALYSIS OF BLACK HAWK IiEALING RITUAL AT BISHOP DANIEL JACKSON'S "WORKING ALTAR" ................................... 185 CONCLUSION: GUIDING ARGUMENTS AND MAJOR IMPLICATIONS OF CREATING SELVES .................................................................. 193 BffiLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................... 198 vi TABLES AND FIGURES Tables 1. Summary