Theology and Religious Studies Research Seminars 2023-24

Department of Theology and Religious Studies Research Seminars 2023-24 

Critical Reflections on the Black Theology Inspired dimensions of the Front and Back

Prof Anthony Reddie, Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford

This paper, (a prospective chapter in my forthcoming book - 'Living Black Theology: Issues of Pedagogy, Mission, and Praxis - OUP) is an exploration of the socio-cultural and political dimensions of the dynamics between the 'Front' Room and the 'Back' room of many working class terrace houses in Britain. Drawing on the intellectual tradition of Stuart Hall and the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies in the University of Birmingham, this paper uses the ideological framing of this tradition to explore the theological dimension of the dichotomy between the Front Room and the Back room. Whilst this socio-cultural dialectic is largely a relic of the past this paper argues that this binary remains an important signifier for the continued respectability politics that is a feature of Black Christian communities in the UK.

This talk will be held in person and online. Click here for teams link.