The spirits and the law
Subtitle: vodou and power in Haiti
By: Kate Ramsey
Published: 2011
Language: eng
Number of pages: 425
ISBN-13: 9780226703794; 9780226703800
Subjects: Religion; Religion and law; Nationalism; Vodou; History
Description: Vodou has often served as a scapegoat for Haiti's problems, from political upheavals to natural disasters. This tradition of scapegoating stretches back to the nation's founding and forms part of a contest over the legitimacy of the religion, both beyond and within Haiti's borders. The Spirits and the Law examines that vexed history, asking why, from 1835 to 1987, Haiti banned many popular ritual practices.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 369-403) and index.
Table of contents: title: Crimes of ritual assembly and assemblage in colonial and revolutionary Saint-Domingue; title: Popular spirituality and national modernity in nineteenth-century Haiti; title: Penalizing vodou and promoting "voodoo" in U.S.-occupied Haiti, 1915-1934; title: Cultural nationalist policy and the pursuit of "superstition" in post-occupation Haiti.