Images from the cultural history of American religiosity

The forms of religion in American society can be fascinating in their multiplicity, almost to the point of being confusing. The author, who has long studied the relationship between culture and religion, offers a clear key to understanding them: he discusses the main American churches and spiritual movements as they have appeared throughout American history and how they have been reflected in social life and artistic creation, especially in literature and film. The individual “images” thus provide a characterisation of Puritans, Quakers, Evangelicals, and Mormons; they map the development of Catholicism, Judaism, and Buddhism on American soil; and they examine the forms of religiosity among Black Americans and the manifestations of Neo-Paganism. They also look at the religious dimension of Freemasonry, Transcendentalism, and the work of the Beat Generation. The publication is supplemented by a rich collection of photographs that the author acquired during a year-long stay in the USA.