HIST 274 Pluralism and Identity in American Religion, 1877-1929 (RT)
After the Civil War, America’s overwhelmingly Protestant culture was transformed by religious “others”: by Catholic and Jewish immigrants pouring into the country, but also by encounters with Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims within the country and around the world. Americans confronted vital questions of religious difference, tolerance, and pluralism. How do we live as equals with people who hold radically different beliefs? What did it mean to be “American” if it no longer meant “white Protestant’? And, how can a person defend “my” religion if there are multiple valid pathways to spiritual enlightenment? This class will give students a historical perspective on elemental questions of belief and identity.