Ralph Ellison's invisible theology /

Ralph Ellison's invisible theology /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Harriss, M. Cooper, author.
Imprint:	New York : NYU Press, 2017.
Description:	1 online resource
Language:	English
Series:	North American religions
Subject:	Ellison, Ralph. -- Invisible man. Invisible man (Ellison, Ralph) Theology in literature. Theology in literature. Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Format:	E-Resource Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/12350482

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9781479872589 147987258X 9781479823017 1479823015
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index. Print version record.
Summary:	Ralph Ellison's 1952 novel Invisible Man provides an unforgettable metaphor for what it means to be disregarded in society. While the term "invisibility" has become shorthand for all forms of marginalization, Ellison was primarily concerned with racial identity. M. Cooper Harriss argues that religion, too, remains relatively invisible within discussions of race and seeks to correct this through a close study of Ralph Ellison's work. Harriss examines the religious and theological dimensions of Ralph Ellison's concept of race through his evocative metaphor for the experience of blackness in America, and with an eye to uncovering previously unrecognized religious dynamics in Ellison's life and work. Blending religious studies and theology, race theory, and fresh readings of African-American culture, Harriss draws on Ellison to create the concept of an "invisible theology," and uses this concept as a basis for discussing religion and racial identity in contemporary American life. This is the first book to focus on Ellison as a religious figure, and on the religious dynamics of his work. Harriss brings to light Ellison's close friendship with theologian and literary critic Nathan A. Scott, Jr., and places Ellison in context with such legendary religious figures as Reinhold and Richard Niebuhr, Paul Tillich and Martin Luther King, Jr. He argues that historical legacies of invisible theology help us make sense of more recent issues like drone warfare and Clint Eastwood's empty chair.
Other form:	Print version: Harriss, M. Cooper. Ralph Ellison's invisible theology. New York : NYU Press, 2017 9781479823017

Table of Contents:

Ways of looking at an Invisible Man
From Harlem Renaissance To Harlem apocalypse: just representations and the epistemology of race
1952: Invisible Man's theological occasion
Above the veil: Nathan A. Scott Jr. and the theological apprenticeship of Ralph Ellison
Wrestling Proteus in the new dispensation: Civil Rights, civil religion, and one blues invisible
Conceived in sin: Ralph Ellison's nineteenth century
More ways of looking at an Invisible Man.