Heathen, religion and race in American history. By Kathryn Gin Lum. Pp. xii + 349 incl. 27 ills. London–Cambridge, Ma: Harvard University Press, 2022. £28.95. 978 0 674 97677 1

Abstract

serious subjects: temperate, controlled, courteous, although not without an occasional twinkle in the eye. Bebbington and his editor have opted to leave the essays largely as first published: this makes sense given that some of were written for journals that are otherwise hidden behind paywalls or even published in print alone. Yet this comes at a cost. Anyone who chooses to read several essays in succession may find the formula remorseless: subjects are introduced and defined, used to exemplify the key criteria of crucicentrism, conversionism, biblicism and activism, and then examined against broader cultural currents. The approach will be familiar to anyone who has read Bebbington before, and while it showcases his skill in crafting case studies, the cultural backdrop (‘enlightenment’, ‘romanticism’, ‘modernism’) is often highly impressionistic: a two-dimensional backdrop to the main action. To cavil at this, however, is to miss the point: these volumes will be an excellent starting point for new scholars seeking crisp, authoritative introductions to a variety of subjects.