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Mojo Workin': Hoodoo's Evolution

The document discusses a book review of Mojo Workin': The Old African American Hoodoo System by Katrina Hazzard-Donald, which traces the history of Hoodoo from its African origins through developments in America and argues that Hoodoo transformed from a coherent African religion into a folk system and then became commercialized. The review praises the book for providing a valuable contribution to the study of African-based spiritual beliefs in the New World.

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61 views3 pages

Mojo Workin': Hoodoo's Evolution

The document discusses a book review of Mojo Workin': The Old African American Hoodoo System by Katrina Hazzard-Donald, which traces the history of Hoodoo from its African origins through developments in America and argues that Hoodoo transformed from a coherent African religion into a folk system and then became commercialized. The review praises the book for providing a valuable contribution to the study of African-based spiritual beliefs in the New World.

Uploaded by

Rosa Quintana
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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MOJO WORKIN’: The Old African American Hoodoo


System by Katrina Hazzard-Donald

Article  in  American Studies · January 2015


DOI: 10.1353/ams.2015.0009

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John Mccarthy
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is an especially touchy topic because his music and his persona present conflicting
messages for African Americans.
Looking for Leroy is somewhat thin in size, but provocative and robust in im-
pact. It challenges readers to view black masculinity outside the scope in which it
is imagined. My principle criticism, nevertheless, regards my desire for a formal
conclusion instead of a “Post Script.” Also, more emphasis on how legible black
masculinity serves the interests of legible white masculinity would have been useful.
But ultimately Neal achieves his goal of radically rescripting accepted notions of a
heteronormative black masculinity. He offers an honest critique of scripted notions
ofBook
blackReview: Mojo
masculinity viaWorkin': The Old
recognizable maleAfrican
figures American Hoodoo System.
in popular culture.
KatrinaLewis
Thabiti Hazzard-Donald,
2013. American Studies 54
Washington (2):
State 137-38, 2015.
University Vancouver.

MOJO WORKIN’: The Old African American Hoodoo System. By Katrina Hazzard-
Donald. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. 2013.

Hoodoo is the African-American system of spiritual practice based in the


curative and protective power of roots, herbs, and other natural materials. Katrina
Hazzard-Donald, also the author of Jookin’: The Rise of Social Dance Formations
in African American Culture (1990), traces the history of Hoodoo from its African
origins through the course of trends and events in America that had significant effects
on developments in African-American culture, including spirituality and religion.

Hazzard-Donald argues that Hoodoo was originally a coherent religion based


in pan-African traditions and preserved through the oral traditions of the enslaved
brought to the New World. It gradually came to syncretize the spirituality of African
Gods with the Protestant Christianity the enslaved encountered here. Voodoo and
Santeria, in contrast, are the result of syncretism with Roman Catholicism.
Over the course of the antebellum era, Hoodoo was transformed into what
Hazzard-Donald calls “old tradition black belt Hoodoo,” a folk system of spiritual
belief, medicine, and control. A “golden age” of the practice came with slavery’s
end. Hoodoo practice had three distinct centers or clusters in the deep South. From
these a more nationalized, homogenized form of the faith developed gradually after
Emancipation as recently freed African Americans were able to move to southern
urban areas and to the industrial north. In the twentieth century, however, Hoodoo
became “marketeered” and a debased form arose. These later, commercially marketed
forms relied upon traveling salespeople and mail-order distributors who also sold
a range of other products targeted at African-American consumers. The Hoodoo
elements were often modified and even completely fabricated by outsiders, while
authentic Hoodoo became a hidden system, operating almost exclusively among
African Americans in a spiritual underground.
Commercial products took the place of herbs and other natural materials, and
traditional beliefs were exploited to sell lucky charms, gambling aids, etc. As these
Hoodoo goods began to become mass marketed, root workers, conjure men, and

137
midwifes (including female healers/spiritual workers) were supplanted by retailers
selling mass-produced goods lacking religious tradition and sacred content.
In post–World War II America, Hoodoo came to be viewed by many African
Americans as incompatible with integration and upward mobility, while at the same
time those who wished to practice the tradition were hindered by lack of access to
both traditional supplies and practitioners. Hoodoo faith and traditions survive in
certain African American churches and through oral transmission that have maintained
the old “black belt” style of Hoodoo. As some of the children and grandchildren of
old tradition workers entered medical and related careers, Hoodoo beliefs became
integrated into health care practice with the application of naturopathic cures as well
as spiritually-based mental health and midwife practices.
Hazzard-Donald’s formulation of Hoodoo’s evolution represents a new chronol-
ogy for its study and transformation over time. It’s a valuable contribution to the
growing number of volumes concerned with African-based traditional spiritual beliefs
in the New World such as Jeffery E Anderson’s Conjure in African American Society
(2005) and Yvonne P. Chireau’s Black Magic: Religion and the African American
Conjuring Tradition (2003).
John P. McCarthy Delaware State Parks

PHILIP ROTH—THE CONTINUING PRESENCE: New Essays on Psychological


Themes. Edited by Jane Statlander-Slote. Newark, NJ: Northeast Books and Pub-
lishing. 2013.

This collection should prove valuable to Roth scholars and aficionados. Com-
prising critical essays, one lecture, an interview with a Philip Roth scholar, a Roth
biography, plus a listing of Roth and Roth-related works—all of which focus on
the psychological, mainly because of the nature of the subject—there is much here
which is of value to Roth studies, to the study of psychology and literature, and to
Jewish studies in general.
The essays link together in a surprisingly cohesive and developmental manner,
allowing for a discussion between the biographical and the creative. At the outset,
Roth is the subject: his foibles and inconsistencies, his psychological make-up, as seen
through the eyes of his psychoanalyst, Dr. Kleinschmidt, whose thinly-disguised case
history of his famous patient, in his essay “The Angry Act: The Role of Aggression
in Creativity,” spurs the writing of Portnoy’s Complaint, and through the eyes of his
second wife, the actress Claire Bloom, show a deeply neurotic, hyper-sensitive soul,
struggling—but often not succeeding—to keep his life in some semblance of balance.
What emerges is an analysis of Jewish identity, post-Holocaust: divided, frag-
mented, questing and questioning, but essentialist in a way that other, non-Jewish
identities cannot embrace, in spite of the shifting performative self. If the source of
this essentialism is the Freudian mother, as Portnoy’s inability to reconcile his desire
for the gorgeous non-Jewish Kay and the “identity that has been foisted upon him by
his ‘ideal’ Jewish mother [that] will not allow the pornotopic fulfillment of his sexual
daydreams” (30) suggests, the wellspring is the body (cultural as well as personal)

138
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In the 20th century, commercialization significantly altered Hoodoo practices. Authentic rituals and materials were overshadowed by mass-market products such as lucky charms and gambling aids, sold by traveling salespeople and mail-order distributors. These commercial products diluted the traditional spiritual content, leading to a version of Hoodoo that was exploited for profit rather than practiced as a genuine spiritual system .

Post-World War II, Hoodoo was viewed as incompatible with integration and upward mobility among African Americans. Traditional practices were hindered by the lack of access to supplies and practitioners. The commercialization of Hoodoo elements made authentic practices hidden within a spiritual underground. Despite these, Hoodoo survived in some African American churches and through oral traditions .

The migration of African Americans to urban areas and the industrial north after Emancipation facilitated the nationalization and homogenization of Hoodoo practices. As these populations moved, the "old tradition black belt Hoodoo" adapted into broader contexts, becoming more accessible outside its traditional southern locales. However, it also became increasingly scrutinized and distorted by external commercial influences, affecting its perception as a legitimate spiritual practice .

Philip Roth's psychological makeup, as interpreted by Dr. Kleinschmidt and Claire Bloom, emphasizes a deeply neurotic, hyper-sensitive soul. This portrayal contributes to the understanding of post-Holocaust Jewish identity as one that is divided, fragmented, and essentialist, yet constantly questing and questioning within a shifting societal context. This struggle is evident in Roth's work, such as Portnoy's Complaint, highlighting the tension between personal desires and cultural identity imposed by an 'ideal' Jewish standard .

According to Katrina Hazzard-Donald, Hoodoo significantly impacted African American culture by preserving African spiritual traditions and integrating them with Protestant Christianity. It provided a spiritual framework for healing, protection, and empowerment within African American communities. Hoodoo's evolution and commercialization reflect broader cultural changes and challenges, yet its core impact remains in shaping spiritual and cultural identity .

Thabiti Lewis critiques 'Looking for Leroy' for offering an insightful yet incomplete examination of black masculinity. He appreciates its challenge to conventional views and its dynamic portrayal outside the scope of traditional representations. However, Lewis criticizes the book's lack of a formal conclusion and wishes for more emphasis on how legible black masculinity serves white interests, indicating room for a broader analysis of racial dynamics in masculinity .

African origins and oral traditions played a crucial role in the development of Hoodoo, as established by Katrina Hazzard-Donald. The practice began as a coherent religion rooted in pan-African traditions. Enslaved Africans preserved Hoodoo through stories, songs, and rituals, adapting it to include elements of Protestant Christianity encountered in the New World. This synthesis allowed Hoodoo to endure and evolve despite significant cultural shifts and geographic dispersion .

Katrina Hazzard-Donald describes Hoodoo as originally a coherent religion based in pan-African traditions, preserved through oral traditions of enslaved Africans. It evolved over time due to significant cultural and spiritual influences, transforming into what she terms 'old tradition black belt Hoodoo.' After Emancipation, it nationalized further as African Americans moved to urban areas. In the 20th century, Hoodoo became 'marketeered,' leading to a debased form dominated by commercial interests and less authentic practices .

The integration of Hoodoo into healthcare among descendants of its practitioners highlights the resilience and adaptability of this spiritual system. As individuals entered medical and related careers, Hoodoo's principles contributed to naturopathic cures and spiritually-based mental health practices, reflecting continuity and cultural preservation through adapted forms. This integration underscores Hoodoo's enduring influence and its capacity to inform contemporary healthcare approaches .

Philip Roth's literary works, such as Portnoy's Complaint, reflect the tension between Jewish identity and personal desires by portraying characters who grapple with cultural expectations and personal aspirations. For Roth, this tension is articulated through themes of aggression, identity fragmentation, and the influence of maternal figures. This duality demonstrates the complexity of navigating post-Holocaust Jewish identity within the frameworks of personal freedom and cultural responsibility .

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