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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 11, No. 11
Publication Date: November 25, 2024
DOI:10.14738/assrj.1111.17958.
Boubakar, A. B., Assongba, B., Kombieni, D., & Kpohoue, F. (2024). Religion in African Americans Live: A Harrowing Comment in
Richard Wrights “Black Boy” and James Baldwins “The Fire Next Time”. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(11). 256-
267.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Religion in African Americans Live: A Harrowing Comment in
Richard Wrights “Black Boy” and James Baldwins “The Fire Next
Time”
Adam Boni Boubakar
Belmonde Assongba
Didier Kombieni
Ferdinand Kpohoue
ABSTRACT
Religion has been a key fact in black Americans slaves daily life, as it fills a gap.
Religious practices when slaves were not in plantations appeared as psychological
relief that helped endure their fate out of resignation, as their helped the slaver
control their slaves. Richard Wright and James Baldwin have exposed the role
played by religion in the slavery institution, respectively in Black Boy and The Fire
Next Time. The present paper aims to highlight some positive impacts of religious
practice as lived by slaves on the one hand, and to reveal how religion helped slave
masters subjugate their slaves to permanent needs in God’s name. The
methodological approach in the study has been a documentary and analytical since
the work has allowed moving from the fictional works described in the two novels
to historical facts in America. In the process of understanding, interpreting and
analyzing the message shed by Wright and Baldwin through their here works, three
literary theories have been found adapted: the New Historicism championed by
Stephen Greenbalt and Jonathan Goldberg which examines through the books the
history as well as the main factors they point out, the Psychoanalysis Literary
Criticism, a doctrine by Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacon, and the Marxism which
has allowed displaying the cultural and intellectual heritage of the United States
during the fight for African Americans’ emancipation and total integration in
America, and the Psychoanalysis Literary Criticism which has permitted exploring
the role of consciousness and the unconsciousness in literary expression of
historical facts, including the authors, the readers and the characters, mostly those
who are really involved in the plot.
Keywords: religion, Black Americans, psychology, domination, abuse.
RELIGION AS A PILLAR OF THE SLAVERY INSTITUTION
African religions played a significant role in the emancipation and liberation of African
Americans in the United States in various ways. They provided a sense of identity, community,
and cultural continuity for enslaved Africans. They preserved African cultural practices, beliefs,
and values, fostering a sense of resilience and resistance against the dehumanizing conditions
of slavery.
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Boubakar, A. B., Assongba, B., Kombieni, D., & Kpohoue, F. (2024). Religion in African Americans Live: A Harrowing Comment in Richard Wrights
“Black Boy” and James Baldwins “The Fire Next Time”. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(11). 256-267.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.1111.17958
The preservation of African cultural practices, beliefs, and values among enslaved Africans
played a critical role in fostering resilience and resistance against the dehumanizing conditions
of slavery. Moreover, African music and dance were central to community life and spiritual
expression. Enslaved Africans adapted these traditions to their new environment, creating
musical forms like spirituals, gospel, blues, and jazz. These art forms provided emotional solace,
a means of covert communication, and a way to maintain cultural identity. While many African
languages were suppressed, elements of African languages and oral traditions survived.
Storytelling, proverbs, and oral histories were crucial for maintaining a sense of identity and
continuity. Griots (traditional storytellers) and elders played vital roles in preserving and
transmitting cultural knowledge.
African religious beliefs emphasized a connection to ancestors, nature, and the spiritual world.
This spirituality provided a framework for understanding and coping with the harsh realities
of slavery. Enslaved Africans often blended their traditional beliefs with Christianity, creating
syncretic religions that were unique and empowering. Cultural practices often served as tools
for resistance. Songs, stories, and rituals sometimes contained coded messages about escape
plans or acts of rebellion. These cultural expressions also served as a form of psychological
resistance, asserting their humanity and agency. Simply maintaining African traditions was an
act of defiance against the slaveholders' attempts to strip them of their identity. It was a way of
asserting that they were more than slaves they were people with a rich cultural heritage and a
right to freedom.
Dealing with the implication of Richard Wright and James Baldwin on African religions, the
issue is dealt according to their personal experience and target to reach. Richard Wright for
instance, throughout his novel Black Boy, focuses primarily on his personal experiences
growing up in the Jim Crow South, his struggles with racism, and his journey toward self- discovery and intellectual freedom. Wright's narrative delves into the oppressive social,
economic, and racial conditions of the time, and how these forces shaped his identity and
worldview.
Therefore, African religions are not mentioned because Wright's upbringing and the cultural
environment he describes are largely influenced by Christianity, specifically Southern Baptist
Christianity, which was predominant in the African American community during his childhood.
His family's religious practices and the broader religious environment he experienced were
shaped by this context.
Additionally, Wright's work is deeply personal and reflects his own experiences and
perspectives. His focus is on his immediate environment and the impact of institutionalized
racism and poverty on his life, rather than a broader exploration of African cultural and
religious heritage. His lack of reference to African religions can be seen as a reflection of the
specific cultural and religious landscape in which he was raised.
During Wright's childhood, the African American community in the South was predominantly
Christian, especially Southern Baptist. This was a result of centuries of enslavement and the
subsequent integration of African Americans into the dominant Christian religious framework
imposed by their enslavers and later, the broader society. By the early 20th century, African