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What is cooperative-communal activism and how does the black religious tradition facilitate this among African-Americans? Randall Swain explains that cooperative-communal political participation describes the political activities citizens engage in through the agency of the black church. Swain´s primary thesis is that the black church´s unique historical position as the indispensable institution in the African American community highlights its importance as a conduit of political and social activism within the black community. Swain adaptes the idea of cooperative communal activism to the black christian tradition, asserting that the black church is one of the most important socializing agents in social and political activism among black Americans.

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Randall D. Swain is an assistant professor in the Department of Government at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. He teaches courses in American politics and public administration as well as courses in the university´s African- American Studies Program.

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