Black Messiahs and Uncle Toms : Social and Literary Manipulations of a Religious Myth

Wilson Moses has written an exciting and imaginative study of myth and symbol. While it focuses on Afro-American thought, its implications are much broader, informing the whole field of American studies.-Nathan I. Huggins"A brilliant and provocative book. It is a major contribution to Afro-American Studies, and religious studies, as well as an incisive critique of American civilization. . . . The author analyzes black messianism, a form of redemptive theology which assumes that Afro-Americans are destined to play a unique role in history and have a special message for humanity. . . . Moses finds that by employing the concept of black messianism he was able to reconcile apparently opposing trends in black history. He notes that the Afro-American's desire to separate from the mainstream of American society can be reconciled with his desire to integrate."-History: Reviews of New Books"Moving chronologically over 150 years of Afro-American history, Moses discusses the religio-political positions of diverse historic figures and the messianic themes of several novels. It's obvious that he has read exhaustively and reflected seriously. Fresh insights abound. His assertion, for example, that David Walker's Appeal is more a jeremiad than a protonationalist tract is a convincing rereading. He sardonically demonstrates that the 'Uncle Tom' ideal, correctly understood, has exerted a lasting appeal not only upon integrationists but upon separatists as well. . . .An impressive study of an important myth in Afro-American and American culture."-Albert J. Raboteau, The Journal of Southern History "Black Messiahs and Uncle Toms is a provocative work in which fresh insights abound. With its appearance the contours of scholarship in the field have been reshaped."-Sterling Stuckey