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Society for the Study of Black Religion collection

 Collection — Box: 1-4
Identifier: 0000-0000-0000-0120a

Scope and Contents

The Society for the Study of Black Religion collection spans the years between 1977 and 1985. The collection contains annual meeting programs, as well as audiovisual materials comprised of audiotapes and videotapes featuring addresses, presentations, lectures, and workshops from the Society for the Study of Black Religion annual meetings and convocations.

Dates

  • Creation: 1977-1985

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Use

All materials in this collection are either protected by copyright or are the property of the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc., and/or the copyright holder as appropriate. For more information, please contact: archives@auctr.edu.

Biographical / Historical

The Society for the Study of Black Religion (SSBR) is the oldest scholarly society dedicated to the study and production of knowledge about the broad diaspora of Black religion. The choice of name marked the beginning of a continuous debate involving Charles H. Long, a historian of religions who was primarily concerned with all religious experience among African Americans and not just with Christian experience. On the other side of the debate was James H. Cone, a systematic theologian who was concerned primarily, but not exclusively, with Christian experience. This distinction involved complicated differences in the perspectives of two disciplines, history of religions and systematic theology. The name chosen for the Society is an umbrella for both viewpoints, but the debate about the essential purpose of the Society continues for academic and intellectual reasons.

The first meeting was in October, 1970, with the society's mission to "engage in research and discussion about the religious experiences of blacks and to promote the teaching of these experiences in colleges and universities." A constitution was adopted that gave purposes for the Society, these are: 1) To engage in scholarly research and discussion about the religious experience of Blacks; 2) To publish reports of its discussions and research; and 3) To encourage the teaching and discussion of the Black religious experience in the curricula of college or university departments of religion and theological seminaries. The SSBR hosts an annual conference and publishes a newsletter. (excerpted from the Society for the Study of Black Religion website, 2016)

Extent

2 Linear feet (collection containing .25 linear feet of manuscripts (1 manuscript box), and 1.75 linear feet of audiovisual materials (52 audio recordings and 15 video recordings).)

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in two series: Programs and Audiovisual Materials.

Society for the Study of Black Religion website

http://www.ssbr.net/

Processing Information

The Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library acknowledges the generous support of the National Endowment for Humanities - Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Implementation Project Grant in supporting the processing and digitization of a number of its major archival collections as part of the project: Spreading the Word: Expanding Access to African American Religious Archival Collections at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library

Title
Society for the Study of Black Religion collection 0000.0000.0000.0120
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Jessica Leming, February, 2016
Date
February, 2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. Repository

Contact:

404-978-2052
404-978-2109 (Fax)