DOC Fusion of the Worlds: An Ethnography of Possession among the Songhay of Niger by Paul Stoller in History

Description

Send Back the Money!' is a thorough and gripping examination of a fascinating and forgotten aspect of Scottish and American relations and Church history. A seminal period of Abolition activity is exposed by Iain Whyte through a study of the fiery campaign 'Send back the Money!' named after 'the hue and cry of the day' that encapsulated the argument that divided families; communities; and the Free Church itself. This examination of the Free Church's involvement with American Presbyterianism in the nineteenth century reveals the ethical furore caused by a Church wishing to emancipate itself from the religious and civil domination supported by the established religion of the state. The Free Church therefore found an affinity with those oppressed elsewhere; but subsequently found itself financially supported by the Southern slave states of America. Whyte sensitively handles this inherent contradiction in the political; ecclesiastical; and theological institutions; while informing the reader of the roles of charismatic characters such as Robert Burns; Thomas Chalmers and Frederick Douglass. These key individuals shaped contemporary culture with action; great oratory; and rhetoric. The author adroitly draws parallels from the twentieth century onwards; bringing the reader to a fuller understanding of the historic and topical issues within global Christianity; and the contentious topic of slavery. 'Send back the Money!' throws light upon nineteenth-century culture; British and American Abolitionists; and ecclesiastical politics; and is written in a clear and engaging style.