By examining Roots as a piece of scripture, Newton illustrates the grounding power of the book’s narrative - a wellspring of theology and culture for Americans for almost fifty years. Newton explains the success of Haley’s best-selling novel about the life of Kunta Kinte and his descendants and the novel’s place in the canonical narrative of America for both Black and White Americans. At issue is the concept, use, and function of “scripture,” particularly through the example of Alex Haley’s 1976 book Roots. In this episode, RSP co-editor Breann Fallon speaks with Assistant Professor Richard Newton about his new book Identifying Roots: Alex Haley and the Anthropology of Scriptures (Equinox 2020).
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