| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 93.4

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| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 93.4 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Conjure in African American Society. By Jeffrey E. Anderson. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2005. xvi, 230 pp. $39.95, ISBN 0-8071-3092-3.)
Conjure, though often overlooked or misunderstood, has always been a core element of African American culture. Also known as "rootwork," or "hoodoo," conjure refers to widespread magical practices commonly found among African Americans. Conjurers can be male or female and have often risen to remarkable positions of social influence and power. They were feared and held in high esteem by their contemporaries, both black and white.	1
While there is a wealth of "how to" conjure books with elaborate recipes for overcoming adversities in life, scholarly works on the topic have been relatively scarce. Loaded with racial stereotypes and mired in a gray zone between ridicule and fear, the subject of conjure had remained an embarrassing one unworthy of serious academic scrutiny. That outlook has changed in recent years. Jeffrey E. Anderson's book Conjure in African American Society is an example of this newly emerging scholarship, offering an interesting, yet not unproblematic, approach to this topic.	. . .

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