EasterBlack-owned or founded brands at TargetGroceryClothing, Shoes & AccessoriesBabyHomeFurnitureKitchen & DiningOutdoor Living & GardenToysElectronicsVideo GamesMovies, Music & BooksSports & OutdoorsBeautyPersonal CareHealthPetsHousehold EssentialsArts, Crafts & SewingSchool & Office SuppliesParty SuppliesLuggageGift IdeasGift CardsClearanceTarget New ArrivalsTarget Finds#TargetStyleTop DealsTarget Circle DealsWeekly AdShop Order PickupShop Same Day DeliveryRegistryRedCardTarget CircleFind Stores

Backtime Religion in the Danish West Indies - (The Black Atlantic Cultural Series: Revisioning Artistic, Historical, Literary, Psychological, and S)

Backtime Religion in the Danish West Indies - (The Black Atlantic Cultural Series: Revisioning Artistic, Historical, Literary, Psychological, and S) - 1 of 1
$120.99 when purchased online
Target Online store #3991

About this item

Highlights

  • During the era of slavery in the Danish West Indies, a distinct Africana heritage religion was developed by the enslaved population that relied on performative expression, and Gregory Carter traces this heritage.
  • About the Author: Gregory Carter is Instructional Assistant Professor of History at Illinois State University, USA.
  • 258 Pages
  • Political Science, World
  • Series Name: The Black Atlantic Cultural Series: Revisioning Artistic, Historical, Literary, Psychological, and S

Description



About the Book



This book examines African heritage, religion, and culture created in the Danish West Indies between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.



Book Synopsis



During the era of slavery in the Danish West Indies, a distinct Africana heritage religion was developed by the enslaved population that relied on performative expression, and Gregory Carter traces this heritage.

This spiritualty shared many attributes with other African heritage religions throughout the African Atlantic, including belief in spirit powers, the veneration of ancestors, polyrhythmic music, dance, costumed masquerade performance, reliance on herbalism and spirit mediumship. Simultaneously, they also incorporated Evangelical Lutheran/Moravian Christianity and the practice of altaration. Backtime Religion in the Danish West Indies: Africana Heritage Religion Beyond Obeah contends that the altaration of the human body is key to conceptualizing how enslaved Africans and their descendants contended with the terrible conditions inherent to slavery, the dislocation of spiritual connections from Africa, and built a renewed and living spiritual understanding on the Danish islands. To prevent loss of cultural knowledge and spirituality, the Danish West Indian enslaved community adapted to life on the islands with immediate pragmatism and took in every available means to regain connection to spiritual power available, containing and hiding this spirituality within living human bodies. Through in-depth research, Carter provides insight into how this religious practice, African heritage, and culture continue to impact the present-day Virgin Islands.



Review Quotes




This well-research book investigates the comprehensive awareness of the survivability and thriving in contemporary arts and sciences of West Afrakan cultural heritage. Backtime Religion in the Danish West Indies is an exceptional analytical contribution to the body of Caribbean Studies literature on the perseverance of ancestral sacred life practices of West Afrakan spirituality, culture, and heritage that still remain, and are to be included, within the annals of historical cultural legacy research.
Chenzira Davis-Kahina, Associate Professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Director of the Virgin Islands Caribbean Cultural Center at the University of the Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands (U.S.)

Through this landmark study of African involuntary presence and mission history in the Danish West Indies, Gregory Carter theorizes built environments, quotidian activities and spaces, and cultural performance and soundscapes as nodal sites of African heritage spirituality and religion. This critical intervention in Africana religious studies transforms how scholars can conceive of, access, and study the spiritual consciousness and lived religion of African-descended people in the Caribbean and the Americas.
Dianne M. Stewart, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Religion and African American Studies, Emory University, USA



About the Author



Gregory Carter is Instructional Assistant Professor of History at Illinois State University, USA.
Dimensions (Overall): 9.0 Inches (H) x 6.0 Inches (W) x .63 Inches (D)
Weight: 1.13 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 258
Genre: Political Science
Sub-Genre: World
Series Title: The Black Atlantic Cultural Series: Revisioning Artistic, Historical, Literary, Psychological, and S
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Theme: African
Format: Hardcover
Author: Gregory Carter
Language: English
Street Date: October 30, 2025
TCIN: 1006570605
UPC: 9781666963229
Item Number (DPCI): 247-51-4937
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
If the item details aren’t accurate or complete, we want to know about it.

Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 0.63 inches length x 6 inches width x 9 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1.13 pounds
We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
This item cannot be shipped to the following locations: American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS), Guam (see also separate entry under GU), Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR), United States Minor Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S., APO/FPO

Return details

This item can be returned to any Target store or Target.com.
This item must be returned within 90 days of the date it was purchased in store, shipped, delivered by a Shipt shopper, or made ready for pickup.
See the return policy for complete information.

Trending Book Pre-Orders

The Things We Leave Unfinished - by Rebecca Yarros

$10.19 - $23.09
MSRP $15.99 - $32.99
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
4.6 out of 5 stars with 71 ratings

The Knight and the Moth - (The Stonewater Kingdom) by Rachel Gillig

$17.83 - $19.99
MSRP $19.99 - $30.00
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
4.8 out of 5 stars with 4 ratings

The Ghostwriter - by Julie Clark

$16.78 - $17.99
MSRP $18.99 - $27.99
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
4.9 out of 5 stars with 7 ratings

A Wolf Called Fire - by Rosanne Parry

$9.99 - $15.19
MSRP $9.99 - $18.99
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
4.6 out of 5 stars with 5 ratings

Wings of Starlight - (Disney Fairies) by Allison Saft

$12.19 - $13.99
MSRP $13.99 - $18.99
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
5 out of 5 stars with 5 ratings

I Was a Teenage Slasher - by Stephen Graham Jones

$18.99 - $20.99
MSRP $19.00 - $29.99
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
5 out of 5 stars with 1 ratings

Discover more options

Big Dumb Eyes - by Nate Bargatze

$16.80 - $18.99
MSRP $18.99 - $30.00
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
4.6 out of 5 stars with 5 ratings

Confronting the Presidents - by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard

$20.99 - $21.15
MSRP $20.00 - $35.00
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
4.5 out of 5 stars with 10 ratings

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? - by Julie Smith

$15.39 - $15.99
MSRP $19.99 - $27.99
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
4.8 out of 5 stars with 52 ratings

Healthy Kids, Happy Kids - by Elisa Song

$17.36 - $18.99
MSRP $18.99 - $29.99
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
5 out of 5 stars with 1 ratings

Your Mom's Gonna Love Me - by Matt Rife

$19.00 - $23.38
MSRP $19.00 - $29.99
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
5 out of 5 stars with 5 ratings

How to Know a Person - by David Brooks

$16.50 - $18.69
MSRP $20.00 - $30.00
Buy 2, get 1 free select books, movies, music & Funko
5 out of 5 stars with 6 ratings

Related Categories

Get top deals, latest trends, and more.

Privacy policy

Footer

About Us

About TargetCareersNews & BlogTarget BrandsBullseye ShopSustainability & GovernancePress CenterAdvertise with UsInvestorsAffiliates & PartnersSuppliersTargetPlus

Help

Target HelpReturnsTrack OrdersRecallsContact UsFeedbackAccessibilitySecurity & FraudTeam Member ServicesLegal & Privacy

Stores

Find a StoreClinicPharmacyTarget OpticalMore In-Store Services

Services

Target Circle™Target Circle™ CardTarget Circle 360™Target AppRegistrySame Day DeliveryOrder PickupDrive UpFree 2-Day ShippingShipping & DeliveryMore Services
PinterestFacebookInstagramXYoutubeTiktokTermsCA Supply ChainPrivacy PolicyCA Privacy RightsYour Privacy ChoicesInterest Based AdsHealth Privacy Policy