Description
Book SynopsisIlluminates how the Rastafari movement managed to evolve in the face of severe biases Misunderstood, misappropriated, belittled: though the Rastafari feature frequently in media and culture, they have most often been misrepresented, their political and religious significance minimized. But they have not been vanquished. Charles Price's Rastafari: The Evolution of a People and Their Identity reclaims the rich history of this relatively new world religion. Charting its humble and rebellious roots in Jamaica's backcountry in the late nineteenth century to the present day, Price explains how Jamaicans' obsession with the Rastafari wavered from campaigns of violence to appeasement and cooptation. Indeed, he argues that the Rastafari as a political, religious, and cultural movement survived the biases and violence they faced through their race consciousness and uncanny ability to ride the waves of anti-colonialism and Black Power. This social movement traveled throughout the Caribbean, Afr
Trade ReviewWell-written and engaging . . . breaks new ground both in the data it analyzes and the theory it advances. Price deftly demystifies the ‘sudden’ appearance of Rastafari by showing how it is rooted in notions of black identity and African redemption. -- Ennis B. Edmonds, Donald L. Rogan Professor of Religious Studies, Kenyon College
In clear prose and with a storyteller’s disposition, Charles Price offers a detailed analysis of the emergence of collective identity of the Rastafari in Jamaica, illustrating how that collective identity is an ever-changing phenomenon, with variations across time and space. Will be a lasting contribution to the field. -- Anita Waters, Denison University
Fascinating and a pleasure to read. Charles Price makes a distinctive contribution by detailing how a Rastafari cultural
gestalt emerges. Price shows how cultural patterns can have multiple origins, influences, and significance.
Rastafari is a new and necessary reframing of Rastafari culture. -- Richard Salter, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
This welcome volume explores the growth and persistence of Rastafarianism in Jamaica. Price . . . provides an exceptionally empathetic account of the faith, and in his sophisticated analysis he successfully integrates the 'small acts' of history with the 'big ideas' they have come to signify. * S. D. Glazier, Yale University *
