Carmelita's In-Possible Dance: Another style of Christianity in the Capitalist Ridden Caribbean
Two characteristics mark the Caribbean: capitalism and the hegemony of North Atlantic versions of Christianity. The colonization and exploitation of the Caribbean was justified in the name of profit and the dominant North Atlantic renderings of Christ's message. Having been conceived by the joi...
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Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa
2007
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Online Access: | http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jsr/article/view/6173 https://doi.org/10.4314/jsr.v19i1.6173 |
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ftjafricanj:oai:ojs.ajol.info:article/6173 2023-05-15T17:29:01+02:00 Carmelita's In-Possible Dance: Another style of Christianity in the Capitalist Ridden Caribbean Guadeloupe, F 2007-10-17 application/pdf http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jsr/article/view/6173 https://doi.org/10.4314/jsr.v19i1.6173 eng eng Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jsr/article/view/6173/107416 http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jsr/article/view/6173 doi:10.4314/jsr.v19i1.6173 Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the journal. Journal for the Study of Religion; Vol 19, No 1 (2006): 1011-7601 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Peer-reviewed Article 2007 ftjafricanj https://doi.org/10.4314/jsr.v19i1.6173 2015-06-06T23:53:11Z Two characteristics mark the Caribbean: capitalism and the hegemony of North Atlantic versions of Christianity. The colonization and exploitation of the Caribbean was justified in the name of profit and the dominant North Atlantic renderings of Christ's message. Having been conceived by the joint forces of these worldly and otherworldly regimes of subjugation, both equally brutal, both making unreasonable demands, both contested yet internalized, the Caribbean gave rise to a schizophrenic culture that played the two forces up against each other. By focusing on a Dominican newcomer on the bi-national island Saint Martin & Sint Maarten (SXM), a devout Pentecostal who works as a prostitute, called Carmelita, this paper demonstrates how working class West Indian2 women and men on this island adapt their Christian performance to the realities of everyday life in a capitalist economy. Vice versa, by appealing to the notions of equity and justice inherent in the Christian tradition which are put forth in popular Caribbean songs, West Indians demand not to be reduced to mere human commodities put to work in the capitalist machinery. Nevertheless, adaptation is not the same as transcending the dichotomy between capitalism and North Atlantic Christianity, for though in a continuous process of change and interaction, both remain separate hegemonic forces in the Caribbean. Journal for the Study of Religion Vol. 19 (1) 2006: pp. 5-22 Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic AJOL - African Journals Online Newcomer ENVELOPE(-58.100,-58.100,-62.025,-62.025) Journal for the Study of Religion 19 1 |
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AJOL - African Journals Online |
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ftjafricanj |
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English |
description |
Two characteristics mark the Caribbean: capitalism and the hegemony of North Atlantic versions of Christianity. The colonization and exploitation of the Caribbean was justified in the name of profit and the dominant North Atlantic renderings of Christ's message. Having been conceived by the joint forces of these worldly and otherworldly regimes of subjugation, both equally brutal, both making unreasonable demands, both contested yet internalized, the Caribbean gave rise to a schizophrenic culture that played the two forces up against each other. By focusing on a Dominican newcomer on the bi-national island Saint Martin & Sint Maarten (SXM), a devout Pentecostal who works as a prostitute, called Carmelita, this paper demonstrates how working class West Indian2 women and men on this island adapt their Christian performance to the realities of everyday life in a capitalist economy. Vice versa, by appealing to the notions of equity and justice inherent in the Christian tradition which are put forth in popular Caribbean songs, West Indians demand not to be reduced to mere human commodities put to work in the capitalist machinery. Nevertheless, adaptation is not the same as transcending the dichotomy between capitalism and North Atlantic Christianity, for though in a continuous process of change and interaction, both remain separate hegemonic forces in the Caribbean. Journal for the Study of Religion Vol. 19 (1) 2006: pp. 5-22 |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Guadeloupe, F |
spellingShingle |
Guadeloupe, F Carmelita's In-Possible Dance: Another style of Christianity in the Capitalist Ridden Caribbean |
author_facet |
Guadeloupe, F |
author_sort |
Guadeloupe, F |
title |
Carmelita's In-Possible Dance: Another style of Christianity in the Capitalist Ridden Caribbean |
title_short |
Carmelita's In-Possible Dance: Another style of Christianity in the Capitalist Ridden Caribbean |
title_full |
Carmelita's In-Possible Dance: Another style of Christianity in the Capitalist Ridden Caribbean |
title_fullStr |
Carmelita's In-Possible Dance: Another style of Christianity in the Capitalist Ridden Caribbean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Carmelita's In-Possible Dance: Another style of Christianity in the Capitalist Ridden Caribbean |
title_sort |
carmelita's in-possible dance: another style of christianity in the capitalist ridden caribbean |
publisher |
Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jsr/article/view/6173 https://doi.org/10.4314/jsr.v19i1.6173 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-58.100,-58.100,-62.025,-62.025) |
geographic |
Newcomer |
geographic_facet |
Newcomer |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_source |
Journal for the Study of Religion; Vol 19, No 1 (2006): 1011-7601 |
op_relation |
http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jsr/article/view/6173/107416 http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jsr/article/view/6173 doi:10.4314/jsr.v19i1.6173 |
op_rights |
Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the journal. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.4314/jsr.v19i1.6173 |
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Journal for the Study of Religion |
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19 |
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1 |
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1766122335515967488 |