This is an author meets critic session on two new books in Latine/x religion- Liberating Spiritualities: Reimagining Faith in the Américas, by Christopher Tirres and, Touched by this Place: Theology, Community, and the Power of Place, by Benjamin Valentin. Both texts are interdisciplinary, Latine and diasporic in focus, and invoke the rich traditions of pragmatism and liberation theology as methodological sources. In Liberating Spiritualities, Tirres offers an in-depth exploration of spirituality as a catalyst for social transformation, showcasing the insights of six distinguished twentieth-century liberation thinkers from across the Américas. In Touched by this Place, Valentín centers the reality of place, placed-based thinking, and "home" as sources for Christian theology.
Christopher D. Tirres will be discussing his new book, Liberating Spiritualities, reflecting on the use of spirituality as a catalyst for social transformation and showcasing the profound insights of six distinguished twentieth-century liberation thinkers from across the Américas, including: Marxist philosopher José Carlos Mariátegui, educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, constructive theologian Virgilio Elizondo, cultural and feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa, activist mujerista theologian and social ethicist Ada María Isasi-Díaz, and ecofeminist theologian Ivone Gebara.
Benjamín Valentín will be discussing his new book, Touched by this Place: Theology, Community, and the Power of Place. Reflecting on his own lived experience in Spanish Harlem, Valentín will discuss how his book calls for a Christian theological return to place,place-based thinking, and "home."