Black Rebels: African-Caribbean Freedom Fighters in Jamaica

by Charles B Arthur (Editor), Werner Zips, Michael Dash (Editor)

Overview

This book chronicles the struggles of African-Americans who escaped from slavery and developed autonomous, "maroon" societies beyond the fringes of the colonial system, demonstrating the vulnerability of colonial rule and the vitality of black resistance in the Caribbean.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558762138
Publisher:	Wiener, Markus Publishers, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/30/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	306
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

Table of Contents

	Foreword	vii
	Preface	xi
I.	Introduction	1
II.	Bitter and Sweet--Whip for the Blacks and Sugar for the Whites	21
III.	"Bush, Bush no Have no Whip": Sociocultural Bases and Forms of Resistance	39
IV.	A War with Unequal Weapons: Maroons Versus the English Colonial Power	69
V.	"In the Spirit of Freedom": Cultural, Social, and Ideological Characteristics of Maroon Communities	127
VI.	"Chant Down Babylon": Cultural Resistance in Jamaica Today	207
	Concluding Remarks	237
	Notes	243
	Bibliography	266
	Glossary	291
	Photo Credits	291

Editorial Reviews

Zips (University of Vienna) details the history of African-Caribbeans who escaped from slavery and developed autonomous societies beyond the colonial system. He blends standard ethnography with conventional history, often vividly capturing the musical voices of the Jamaica Maroons. He brings study of Maroon society up through the 20th century, and questions many assertions by past reporters and current scholars on the culture, economy, and politics of Maroon society. Includes color photos of celebrations in a Maroon village, and b&w historical illustrations. Lacks a subject index. (Note: the publisher has corrected an ISBN confusion: this and another title, , were both inadvertently designated as 1-55876-167-5.) Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

In this study of the Maroons of Jamaica, Zips skillfully combines the critical analysis of historical documents, oral history, and ethnography based on his fieldwork in the 1980s. Originating in the 17th century, Jamaican Maroons created several remote communities, fought British colonizers to a standstill, and negotiated treaties in the 18th century that have preserved their independence to the present. Contrary to Mavis Campbell, who that the treaties constituted a "betrayal" of their struggle for freedom because they agreed to collaborate in returning escaped slaves, Zips contends that their "separatist" politics, by shifting from a strategy of military to diplomatic resistance, succeeded in achieving their goals. Consequently, he identifies the Maroons as precursors of Marcus Garvey's movement, Rastafarianism, and other 20th-century movements of cultural resistance that reject domination by Europeans and focus positively on their African identity and heritage. The book is clearly written and has a good bibliography. Recommended for any person or program examining the history and culture of Africans in the Americas or for colonial and postcolonial studies.

Choice Magazine