How does hip hop relate to religion, what does it tell us about the human desire for meaning? What do the visual arts tell us about our quest for place, human connection, and for a sense of meaning that includes but also transcends the mundane? This open access book brings together secular and religious scholars, artists, and activists, to explore topics such as race, gender, class, AI and racial injustice. Based on the assumption that dialogue produces a much richer understanding of human activity than monologues, this book reveals the common ground in experiences and meaning-making through culture, art and beauty.
Bracketing the theological-philosophical debate over who is right—theists or nontheists—this book looks at the work and aims of the people supporting either position, and how we make meaning in a time of increasing division.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by William Marsh Rice University
Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations
Contributors
Acknowledgements
Note on Presentation
Introduction, Anthony B. Pinn (Rice University, USA)
Section One: Creatively Human
1. “Small Creatures and Deep Connections”, Sasha Sagan (international speaker and filmmaker, USA)
2. “Grieving While Disbelieving”, Candace Gorham (mental health professional, author and secular activist, USA)
3. “When to Walk, When to Fight”, Nadya Dutchin (Executive Director of ShareBaby, USA)
4. “Freethought and Black Personhood”, Christopher Cameron (University of North Carolina-Charlotte, USA)
5. “Seeing the Secular”, Phil Zuckerman (Pitzer College, USA)
Section Two: Human Creativity
6. “The Afrofuturistic Gardener”, Angelbert Metoyer (artist, USA)
7. “A Serious Sense of Play”, Jamal Cyrus (Texas Southern University, USA)
8.“Art Imitating Life”, Jeremiah Camara (author and film maker, USA)
9. “The Raw Truth of Hip Hop”, Harry Allen (hip hop activist, journalist, and advisor to the Archives of African American Music and Culture at Indiana University, USA)
10. “We’re Still Here!”, Valerie Oliver (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, USA)
11. “On Black AI”, Philip Butler (Iliff School of Theology, USA)
About the Author :
Anthony B. Pinn is currently the Agnes Cullen Arnold Distinguished Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religion at Rice University, USA. Pinn is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he is a Professor Extraordinarius at the University of South Africa. Pinn is the founding director of the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning at Rice University. He is also Director of Research for the Institute for Humanist Studies – a Washington, DC-based think tank. Pinn’s research interests include religion and culture; black religious thought; humanism; and, hip hop culture.
Review :
Humanism, at its best, is a creative and secular exploration of what it means to be human. No one understands this better – or has achieved more in the field of humanist studies – than Anthony B. Pinn, a legend among those who care about the positive values, histories, cultures, and communities of nonreligious people. These dialogues showcase Pinn at his most conversational and relevant.
Conversations on Humanity and Creativity is that rare thing - a scholarly book that is not only full of innovative thought, but it also explores waves of imaginative and playful expression. Anthony B. Pinn has cleverly curated a text that demonstrates the power of conversation; a mode of engagement that demonstrates conviviality and civility, outlining the best of the mythical Salon as a space for appreciative enquiry. In an age of destructive and combative polarisation, Conversations on Humanity and Creativity reveals an alternative and joyful means of engagement. This is a must read!
These fascinating conversations range widely across different areas, held together by a focus on human creativity and by Dr. Anthony B. Pinn's dedication to the art of dialogue. From his interlocutors Dr. Pinn draws out personal histories, accounts of artistic production, and trenchant reflections on religion and Black secularism.
Beautiful! This book is written in a way to pique the reader’s curiosity while satisfying their craving for connection without employing a particular set of mastered dialogue skills. It is an invitation for people to engage in conversation about the mundane, fascinating, and wonder of life and humanity that allows us to simply be and understand one another. What a gift!
