Creole religions of the Caribbean
Subtitle: an introduction from Vodou and Santería to Obeah and Espiritismo
By: Margarite Fernández Olmos and Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert ; foreword by Joseph M. Murphy
Contributors: Paravisini-Gebert, Lizabeth
Edition: 2nd ed.
Series: Religion, race, and ethnicity; Religion, race, and ethnicity
Publisher: New York University Press; NYU Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 309
ISBN-13: 9780814762271; 9780814762288; 9780814728253
Subjects: Afro-Caribbean cults
Description: Creolization--the coming together of diverse beliefs and practices to form new beliefs and practices--is one of the most significant phenomena in Caribbean religious history. Brought together in the crucible of the sugar plantation, Caribbean peoples drew on the variants of Christianity brought by European colonizers, as well as on African religious and healing traditions and the remnants of Amerindian practices, to fashion new systems of belief. Creole Religions of the Caribbean offers a comprehensive introduction to the syncretic religions that have developed in the region. From Vodou, Santería, Regla de Palo, the Abakuá Secret Society, and Obeah to Quimbois and Espiritismo, the volume traces the historical-cultural origins of the major Creole religions, as well as the newer traditions such as Pocomania and Rastafarianism. This second edition updates the scholarship on the religions themselves and also expands the regional considerations of the Diaspora to the U.S. Latino community who are influenced by Creole spiritual practices. Fernández Olmos and Paravisini-Gebert also take into account the increased significance of material culture--art, music, literature--and healing practices influenced by Creole religions. -- Product Description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.