Religious Possession and Self-Repossession
The Black Nationalist Movements and the Anglophone Caribbean Ritual Plays in the 1960s-1970s
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3345514 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xin Li (0000-0002-3425-8566, University of Science and Technology Beijing), Hongwei Chen (0009-0007-7971-4186, University of Science and Technology Beijing, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 1288 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-21 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel15101288 |
| OpenAlex | W4403602356 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 15 |
Since achieving political independence in the 1960s, Anglophone Caribbean nations have faced the urgent task of exploring cultural independence. In the socio-cultural sphere, Black nationalism dominated, with Pan-Africanism and Rastafarianism exerting significant influence. In literary creation, writers and intellectuals sought to unearth local popular religions and folk traditions to produce literature that was distinctively Caribbean. In this quest, rituals-especially those involving religious possession-emerged as pivotal tools for writers to explore historical traditions and reflect on identity formation. Ritual plays, in particular, vividly represented these dynamics within the socio-cultural context. This paper examines the interaction between Black nationalist movements and ritual plays during this period, highlighting their significant role in shaping Caribbean identities. It reveals that ritual plays such as Dream on Monkey Mountain, Couvade, and An Echo in the Bone challenge Pan-Africanism promoted by Black nationalist movements. Instead, they employ ancestor possession rituals and elements from multiple religious rituals to construct a native Caribbean identity. These plays underscore the central role of Afro-Caribbean traditions while also highlighting the region's diverse cultural heritage and the localized nature of Caribbean identity. Furthermore, they broaden the use of religious rituals in recalling and understanding traditions
Ethnology · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Caribbean and African Literature and Culture · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Gender Studies · History · Law · Philosophy
The Sacred Act of Reading
Nobody's Nation
Nationalism and the Formation of Caribbean Literature
Creolisation and Creole Societies
The Emergence of a National Drama in the West Indies
Dream on Monkey Mountain” and the Popular Response
Post-Colonial Drama
The Cambridge Guide to African and Caribbean Theatre
What Else Is New
Symbolic Inaction in Rituals of Gender and Procreation among the Garifuna (Black Caribs) of Honduras
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |