Rastafari : roots and ideology /

Chevannes provides a highly accessible historical overview of the origins of Rastafarianism in Jamaica. The author--who began researching the topic in 1974--bases his analysis on the life histories of 30 male and female informants, most of whom joined the movement in the late 1930s and early '40s. He argues convincingly that the worldview of the Jamaican peasantry is reflected in early Rastafarian belief, and that revivalism and Garveyism played an important part in the formative years of the movement. Chevannes considers the contributions of early leaders such as Howell, Hibbert, Dunkley, and Hinds, and underscores the impact of internal factionalism, government oppression, and political resistance. His final chapter gives attention to the contemporary status of Rasta women, reggae, and the religion's spread to Europe and North America. Vital for students of African American religions and Caribbean religions, but also of interest to anthropologists, sociologists, and historians. Highly recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above. S. D. Glazier University of Nebraska at Kearney

The term Rastafari connotes reggae music and Bob Marley to the masses, but Rastafari is much more than a backdrop of red, yellow, and green banners for music videos. Chevannes examines the religion's history and development in detail, which means his book is also a social history of Jamaica. Chevannes begins by tracing the cultural roots of the Rastafari movement to the slave trade in Jamaica from the sixteenth through the nineteenth century, in reaction to which a foundation was laid for the spirit of resistance that was later a major factor in Rastafari's spread on the island. Chevannes also closely attends to the internal rifts and doctrinal disputes that caused denominational splits within the movement. As Rastafari moved into the larger world, some of its teachings, such as the strict observance of menstrual taboos, were attacked. Chevannes' analysis of that growth and how it is changing present-day Rastafari is fascinating and illuminating. No fanbook for couch-bound "Waspafaris" sitting around the plastic bong, this is a serious look at a living, growing religion. ~--Mike Tribby

According to social anthropologist Chevannes, understanding the Jamaican-born movement that takes its name after the prince, or ras, named Tafari Makonnen who was crowned in 1930 as Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie requires looking not so much at dreadlocks or reggae but at the worldview of the Jamaican peasantry who replaced rural with urban poverty as they migrated to Kingston in the early 1930s. Drawing on his 1974 dissertation fieldwork, Chevannes traces Rastafari to forms of cultural reconstruction, including idealization of Africa, and to the belief system and ethics of what he calls Revivalism. Revivalist beliefs, which helped the peasants cope with oppression, turned on a hope of undoing European colonization and domination. Chevannes's writing style is stilted and his view is not comprehensive, yet there is little literature on the subject that would allow placing his work in context. For collections on Jamaica, the African diaspora, or millenarian movements.-Thomas J. Davis, SUNY at Buffalo (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.