The cultural politics of Obeah : religion, colonialism and modernity in the Caribbean world / Diana Paton, Newcastle University.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Paton, Diana, 1969- author.

Series:

Critical perspectives on empire

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Obeah (Cult)--Political aspects--Caribbean Area.

Obeah (Cult).

Religion and politics--Caribbean Area.

Religion and politics.

Caribbean Area--Social conditions.

Caribbean Area.

Social conditions.

Physical Description:

xiii, 361 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Summary:

"An innovative history of the politics and practice of the Caribbean spiritual healing techniques known as obeah, and its place in everyday life in the region. Spanning two centuries, the book results from extensive research on the development and implementation of anti-obeah legislation. It includes analysis of hundreds of prosecutions for obeah, and an account of the complex and multiple political meanings of obeah in Caribbean societies. Diana Paton moves beyond attempts to define and describe what obeah was, instead showing the political imperatives that often drove interpretations and discussions of it. She shows that representations of obeah were entangled with key moments in Caribbean history, from eighteenth-century slave rebellions to the formation of new nations after independence. Obeah was at the same time a crucial symbol of the Caribbean's alleged lack of modernity, a site of fear and anxiety, and a thoroughly modern and transnational practice of healing itself"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Introduction; 1. The emergence of Caribbean spiritual politics; 2. Obeah and the slave trade debates; 3. Creole slave society, obeah, and the law; 4. Obeah and its meanings in the post-emancipation era; 5. Obeah in the courts, 1890-1939; 6. Obeah prosecutions from the inside; 7. Protest, development, and the politics of obeah; 8. The postcolonial politics of Obeah; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781107025653

1107025656

9781107615991

1107615992

OCLC:

906295053

Online:

Cover image