The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti
Vodou, the folk religion of Haiti, is a by–product of the contact between Roman Catholicism and African and Amerindian traditional religions. In this book, Leslie Desmangles analyzes the mythology and rituals of Vodou, focusing particularly on the inclusion of West African and European elements in Vodouisants' beliefs and practices.

Desmangles sees Vodou not simply as a grafting of European religious traditions onto African stock, but as a true creole phenomenon, born out of the oppressive conditions of slavery and the necessary adaptation of slaves to a New World environment.

Desmangles uses Haitian history to explain this phenomenon, paying particular attention to the role of the seventeenth– and eighteenth–century maroon communities in preserving African traditions and the attempts by the Catholic, educated elite to suppress African–based “superstitions.” The result is a society in which one religion, Catholicism, is visible and official; the other, Vodou, is unofficial and largely secretive.
1118879879
The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti
Vodou, the folk religion of Haiti, is a by–product of the contact between Roman Catholicism and African and Amerindian traditional religions. In this book, Leslie Desmangles analyzes the mythology and rituals of Vodou, focusing particularly on the inclusion of West African and European elements in Vodouisants' beliefs and practices.

Desmangles sees Vodou not simply as a grafting of European religious traditions onto African stock, but as a true creole phenomenon, born out of the oppressive conditions of slavery and the necessary adaptation of slaves to a New World environment.

Desmangles uses Haitian history to explain this phenomenon, paying particular attention to the role of the seventeenth– and eighteenth–century maroon communities in preserving African traditions and the attempts by the Catholic, educated elite to suppress African–based “superstitions.” The result is a society in which one religion, Catholicism, is visible and official; the other, Vodou, is unofficial and largely secretive.
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The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti

The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti

by Leslie G. Desmangles
The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti

The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti

by Leslie G. Desmangles

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Overview

Vodou, the folk religion of Haiti, is a by–product of the contact between Roman Catholicism and African and Amerindian traditional religions. In this book, Leslie Desmangles analyzes the mythology and rituals of Vodou, focusing particularly on the inclusion of West African and European elements in Vodouisants' beliefs and practices.

Desmangles sees Vodou not simply as a grafting of European religious traditions onto African stock, but as a true creole phenomenon, born out of the oppressive conditions of slavery and the necessary adaptation of slaves to a New World environment.

Desmangles uses Haitian history to explain this phenomenon, paying particular attention to the role of the seventeenth– and eighteenth–century maroon communities in preserving African traditions and the attempts by the Catholic, educated elite to suppress African–based “superstitions.” The result is a society in which one religion, Catholicism, is visible and official; the other, Vodou, is unofficial and largely secretive.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780807861011
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date: 11/09/2000
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 240
File size: 3 MB

About the Author

Leslie G. Desmangles is professor of religion and international studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

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From the Publisher

“The first comprehensive overview of Vodou in the twentieth century that takes into account the tremendous variety of religious forms and influences within the faith. Drawing from first-hand fieldwork in Haiti and the Republic of Benin, the author recognizes Vodou’s continuities and discontinuities with the African past. Vital for students of African-American religions, but also of interest to anthropologists, political scientists, sociologists and historians of religion. Likely to be the authoritative study on this topic for years to come.” — Stephen D. Glazier, University of Nebraska at Kearney

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