Dealing with the interplay of diverse Caribbean cultural traditions from Cuba and Jamaica to Guyana and Surinam, this book addresses some of the major contemporary issues in the study of Caribbean religion and identity. It focuses on spirituality and healing, theology in social and political context, the questions of identity and diaspora.

ContentsAcknowledgmentsDancing the Nation: An Introduction Patrick TaylorI. Spirituality, Healing and the Divine1. Across the Waters: Practitioners Speak Eva Fernandez, Yvonne B. Drakes, Deloris Seiveright2. How Shall We Sing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land? Constructing the Divine in Caribbean Contexts Althea Prince3. Communicating with our Gods: The Language of Winti Petronella Breinburg4. The Intersemiotics of Obeah and Kali Mai in Guyana Frederick Ivor Case5. Religions of African Origin in Cuba: A Gender Perspective María Margarita Castro FloresII. Theology, Society and Politics6. Sheba's Song: The Bible, the Kebra Nagast and the Rastafari Patrick Taylor7. Themes from West Indian Church History in Colonial and Post-Colonial Times Arthur C. Dayfoot8. Congregationalism and Afro-Guyanese Autonomy Juanita de Barros9. Eden After Eve: Christian Fundamentalism and Women in Barbados Judith Soares10. Current Evolution of Relations Between Religion and Politics in Haiti Laënnec HurbonIII. Religion, Identity and Diaspora11. Jamaican Diasporic Identity: The Metaphor of Yaad Barry Chevannes12. Identity, Personhood and Religion in Caribbean Context Abrahim H. Khan13. Sanfancón: Orientalism, Self-Orientalization and "Chinese Religion" in Cuba Frank F. Scherer14. The Diasporic Mo(ve)ment: Indentureship and Indo-Caribbean Identity Sean Lokaisingh-MeighooCaribbean Religions: A Selected BibliographyContributorsIndex