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3 - “God knows what I do”: Ritual Free Spaces

from II - Consciousness and Interaction: Cultural Expressions, Networks and Ties, Geographies and Space

Crystal Nicole Eddins
Crystal Nicole Eddins
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
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Summary

This chapter focuses on the spiritual world of enslaved people and the ways in which politicized consciousness and resistance were infused in ritual practices. This chapter is theoretically grounded by insights from the social movements field related to the politicization of social spaces and the role of cultural artifacts in social movements. I frame spiritual and ritual gatherings as free spaces where participants’ oppositional consciousness and sense of racial solidarity was enhanced through holding audience to anti-slavery and racial consciousness rhetoric; employing spiritual technologies to protect oneself and attract good fortune, usurping ultimate power from white plantation owners and asserting personal agency; and using marronnage to organize and recruit new ritual participants.

Keywords

Africa-inspired RitualsMobilizing StructuresDeathFree SpacesOppositional Consciousness
Type
Chapter
Information
Rituals, Runaways, and the Haitian Revolution
Collective Action in the African Diaspora
 , pp. 111 - 146
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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