Chanting Down the New Jerusalem: Calypso, Christianity, and Capitalism in the Caribbean

Product Description

In this brilliantly evocative ethnography, Francio Guadeloupe probes the ethos and attitude created by radio disc jockeys on the binational Caribbean island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten. Examining the intersection of Christianity, calypso, and capitalism, Guadeloupe shows how a multiethnic and multireligious island nation, where livelihoods depend on tourism, has managed to encourage all social classes to transcend their ethnic and religious differences. In his pathbreaking analysis, Guadeloupe credits the island DJs, whose formulations of Christian faith, musical creativity, and capitalist survival express ordinary people's hopes and fears and promote tolerance.

Review

“Chanting Down the New Jerusalem is a welcome addition to the anthropological literature of Christianity, capitalism, and nationalism.”
(
Religion & Society 2011-05-04)



“Incisive and vibrant. . . . The people of Sint Maarten and Saint Martin . . . came alive on every turn of a page.”
(
Black Theology 2010-07-13)



“A first-rate study notable for its straightforward treatment of issues surrounding national identity, tourism, and development.”
(Stephen D. Glazier
Church History Stds In Christiany And Culture 2011-07-01)



“A rich, vivid and colourfully written ethnography.”
(Heidi Harkonen
Suomen Antropologi: J Finnish Anthro Soc 2011-07-12)



“An original contribution to the study of Caribbean religions.”
(
New West Indian Guide / NWIG 2011-06-01)
From the Inside Flap

"In this brilliant, evocative, and invigorating book, Francio Guadeloupe brings us to the island not as tourists but as guests, welcoming us into the homes and home-truths of a Caribbean world in the making. In the process, he helps us understand the intimate yet mediated rhythms of personal subjectivity and social collectivity that are at work and at play in making meaningful worlds. As a result, this book makes a major contribution to the study of religion and culture in the Caribbean and in the world."—David Chidester, author of
Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture

About the Author

Francio Guadeloupe is Assistant Professor at the Radboud University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, Research Fellow at the Royal Institute for Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, and Extraordinary Research Fellow at the University of Saint Martin.