The Midwest is the crossroads of America, a major driver of industrial, economic, and political change in the United States since the early nineteenth century. Viewed from St. Louis, what makes this region such a rich place of religious encounter, experimentation, and reinvention?
The Midwest is the crossroads of America, situated between the Atlantic and Pacific and bridging North and South. Sometimes extolled as the “Heartland,” other times derided as “Flyover Country,” the Midwest has been a major driver of industrial, economic, and political change in the United States since the early nineteenth century. This course looks at the religious worlds of the Midwest, from Russian Orthodox Christian auto workers in Detroit to Syrian Muslim peddlers in Indianapolis, Jewish merchants in Cincinnati to North African meatpackers in Iowa, and the Italian Catholic grocers here on The Hill, amongst others. Together we will explore the Midwest as a dynamic place of religious encounter, experimentation, and reinvention, a rich liminal space between East and West which has fostered some of the most dynamic and diverse religious communities in the United States.
