contents

illustrations

acknowledgments

prologue. premises and methodologies

part one: african inheritance

1. african origins of modern humans. african dark motheroldest divinity we know. african migrations.
2. Har Karkom in the Sinai Peninsula, Sicily & Malta in the Mediterranean, Canaan in west Asia.
3. dark mother of Sicily -- Ibla Nera, sibyls, and black madonna of Chiaramonte Gulfi.

part two: black madonnas, saints, and peasant women as godmothers

4. black madonnas on the white continent of Europe
5. santa Lucia: dark mother's wisdom and nurturance as saint of light. dark and light in sicilian history
6. godmothers -- le comari dei Monti Iblei, Sicily. peasant women and the dark mother.
7. dark others -- jews, moors, heretics, and women. dark mother and commonality of persecution. Teresa -- saint of dark others

part three: comparative beliefs -- United States and Italy

8. United States -- white elites and dark others. case of sicilian/americans. manifest destiny and bedda madri!
9. empire abroad and social control of dark others at home
10. rise of dark others. United States in the 1960s
11. godmothers and others. Italy and the "uncruel revolution."

part four: L'Ordine simbolico della madre. (symbolic order of the mother)

12. dark mothers and others of the world

bibliography