In this Book

  • Creole Religions of the Caribbean: An Introduction from Vodou and Santeria to Obeah and Espiritismo
  • Book
  • Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert
  • 2011
  • Published by: NYU Press
    • Viewed
    • View Citation
summary

A comprehensive introduction to the syncretic religions developed in the Caribbean region

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.

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Title Page, Copyright Page
  2. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Contents
  2. p. v
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. p. vii
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Preface to the First Edition
  2. pp. ix-x
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Preface to the Second Edition
  2. p. xi
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Foreword
  2. pp. xiii-xiv
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Introduction
  2. pp. 1-19
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 1. Historical Background
  2. pp. 20-32
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 2. The Orisha Tradition in Cuba: Santería/Regla de Ocha
  2. pp. 33-87
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 3. The Afro-Cuban Religious Traditions of Regla de Palo and the Abakuá
  2. pp. 88-115
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 4. Haitian Vodou
  2. pp. 116-154
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 5. Obeah, Myal, and Quimbois
  2. pp. 155-182
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 6. Rastafarianism
  2. pp. 183-202
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 7. Espiritismo: Creole Spiritism in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the United States
  2. pp. 203-249
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Glossary
  2. pp. 251-258
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 259-278
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Works Cited
  2. pp. 279-294
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 295-307
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
  1. About the Authors
  2. p. 309
  3. restricted access
    • PDF icon Download
Back To Top