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Book Reviews 113 Walter F. Pitts, Jr. Old Ship of Zion: The Afro-Baptist Ritual in the African Diaspora. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. 199 pp. The late Walter Pitts has produced a comprehensive study and insightful analysis of African American religious ritual in sixteen black Baptist churches in central Texas . In this work that opens new avenues for scholarly investigation, Pitts demonstrates how drawing from varied disciplines-cultural anthropology, religious studies, folklore, ethnomusicology, linguistics, and sociology-can yield rich and vital discoveries and observations. With the help of these disci plines the author argues convincingly that Afro-Baptist ritual is an extension as well as a reinterpretation of African religious custom. The author culls his work from experience and study. He is the consumate participant-observer and ethnographer who sensitively captures the ethos of black folk worship. About this Pitts writes, "As pianist for six years in one of these churches, I was able to unobtru sively record many worship services with a portable tape recorder resting on my piano bench. I recorded preaching, singing and conver sations from sixteen different congregations in central Texas. In my observations of land participation in) these events, the variation in ways of speaking at
Black Sacred Music – Duke University Press
Published: Sep 1, 1994
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