Creole Religions of the Caribbean

With vitality and dexterity the authors paint a nuanced portrait of Caribbean spirits and persons, of issues holy and secular, and of the hybrid character of this region's religions. Best of all, they honor the shifting sentiments and unravel the multiple meanings behind numerous spiritual ideas and practices. Teachers and students alike will admire their brilliantly researched, sensitively written, and richly textured tome. It represents the high-water mark of all introductory books on religion, race, and ethnicity. -- Darren J. N. Middleton,Texas Christian University Creole Religions of the Caribbean approaches readers as if they were out-of-town guests at a dinner party, thoroughly acquainting them with the topics of conversation and encouraging them to mingle among the liveliest characters. * The Journal of Religion * The book provides a unique sociocultural, historical and political analysis of Caribbean religion. * Centro Journal * Descriptive and comparative. * Choice * Unique to such a study, this book uses extracts from novels . . . to illustrate some points. [A] fine text. * Library Journal * Creole Religions stands out as vastly superior to the theologically oriented introductory-level material available up to this point and should serve as an indispensible teaching tool in departments of anthropology, sociology, literary criticism and history of religions. * Journal of Religion * Bravo! A well-written text that de-mystifies Creole spiritual practices and places them in historical perspective is a major contribution to the twenty-first century. Over and above the accurate and detailed descriptions of the various spiritual practices of the Caribbean, the authors have clearly delineated the historic origin and connection of Creole practices to African religions, often indicating the specific regions of Africa from which they came. This volume provides an excellent overview of the history and culture of the Caribbean islands and is the first of its kind to present comprehensive, well-researched treatise of Obeah, Myalism, Quimbois, Espiritismo, Vodou, Santeria, Regla de Palo, and the Abukua Secret Society as well as the more recent traditions of Rastafarianism and Pocomania. This work is interesting and will leave the reader well informed about the Caribbean island's religions, practices, and culture, complete with present-day expressions in the Caribbean. It will be an important text for the study of the Caribbean, religion, ethnicity, race, and culture. * Multicultural Review * This book provides valuable insider information that can assist Christians as they work and witness in the Spanish and English Caribbean or among the Caribbean Diaspora. * Missiology * Offers an excellent . . . multidisciplinary introduction to the scholarship in this area of study. * New West Indian Guide * Creole Religions of the Caribbean is a very effective and sympathetic study of the Caribbean religions, and it provides this story in a more accessible way than other publications. * Equinox *

Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert (Author) Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert is Professor of Caribbean culture and literature in the Department of Hispanic Studies and The Environmental Studies Program at Vassar College, where she holds the Sarah Tod Fitz Randolph Distinguished Professor Chair.. She is the author of a number of books and is coeditor with Fernndez Olmos of Healing Cultures: Art and Religion as Curative Practices in the Caribbean and its Diaspora. Margarite Fernndez Olmos (Author) Margarite Fernndez Olmos is Emerita Professor of Spanish and Latin American literatures at Brooklyn College, City University of New York. She is the author or co-editor of many books, including The Latino Reader: An American Literary Tradition from 1542 to the Present. Joseph M. Murphy (Foreword by)

Acknowledgments Preface to the First Edition Preface to the Second Edition Foreword Joseph M. Murphy, Georgetown University Introduction 1 Historical Background 2 The Orisha Tradition in Cuba: Santeria/Regla de Ocha 3 The Afro-Cuban Religious Traditions of Regla de Palo and the Abakua Secret Society 4 Haitian Vodou 5 Obeah, Myal, and Quimbois 6 Rastafarianism 7 Espiritismo: Creole Spiritism in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the United States Glossary Notes Works Cited Index About the Authors