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\nAbout the book:
\nFeminist philosopher Dr. Lindsey Stewart&rsquo\;s book\, \ ;The Conjuring of America: Mojos\, Mermaids\, Medicine\, and 400 Years of Black Women&rsquo\;s Magic\, tells the stories of Negro Mammies of slavery \; the Voodoo Queens and Blues Women of Reconstruction\; and the Granny Mi dwives and textile weavers of the Jim Crow era. These women\, in secrecy a nd subterfuge\, courageously and devotedly continued their practices and w orship for centuries and passed down their traditions. \;
\nConj ure informs our lives in ways remarkable and ordinary&mdash\;from traditio nal medicines that informed the creation of Vicks VapoRub and the rise of Aunt Jemima&rsquo\;s Pancake Mix\, to the original magic of Disney&rsquo\; s \;The Little Mermaid (2023)\, \;and the true origins of the all- American classic blue jean.
\nFrom the moment enslaved Africans firs t arrived on these shores\, conjure was heavily regulated and even outlawe d. Now\, Stewart uncovers new contours of American history\, sourcing lett ers from the enslaved\, dispatches from the lore of Oshun and other Africa n mystics. \;The Conjuring of America \;is a love letter to the re al magic Black women used\, their herbs\, food\, textiles\, song\, and dan ce\, used to sow rebellion\, freedom\, and hope.
\n\nAbout the Author:
\nLindsey Stewart is a Black feminist ph ilosopher and an Associate Professor of philosophy at the University of Me mphis. She is the author of \;The Politics of Black Joy. Her work has been featured in \;Blavity\, Signs\, Hypatia\, and the \;British J ournal for the History of Philosophy\, and she holds a 2021 Michael Beaney Prize. She lives in Memphis\, Tennessee. \;
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