An Ethos of Blackness: Rastafari Cosmology, Culture, and Consciousness

Rastafari is an Afrocentric social and religious movement that provides a normative conception of Blackness for people of African descent. This book explores its core beliefs and practices, tracing its origins in enslaved peoples strategies of resistance, Jamaican Revivalism, and Garveyism. It emphasizes the significance of practices such as avoiding technological exploitation and living in harmony with the natural order. However, it also highlights the movement's failure to include women and address sexism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2023
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Rastafari is a multifaceted social and religious movement that originated within Afro-Jamaican communities during the 1930s, and it has garnered a significant following in the Caribbean and across the globe. This comprehensive book serves as a groundbreaking exploration of Rastafari, highlighting its role in providing a normative conception of Blackness for individuals of African descent that challenges Eurocentric and colonial notions.

Vivaldi Jean-Marie delves into the core beliefs and practices of Rastafari, presenting them as a distinctive Black system of norms and values. He traces the origins of Rastafari to the strategies of resistance employed by enslaved people, the Jamaican Revivalism movement, and the ideologies of Marcus Garvey. Jean-Marie demonstrates how Rastafari incorporates ancestral religious traditions and emancipatory politics, forming a holistic and transformative worldview.

One of the central themes of An Ethos of Blackness is the significance of practices that promote harmony with the natural order. Jean-Marie explores the idea of avoiding the technological exploitation of natural artifacts and emphasizes the importance of living in sync with the environment. He further examines Rastafari's theology, delving into its reinterpretation of biblical scriptures and its rejection of Christianity's Eurocentrism and racism. However, Jean-Marie raises a critical point, emphasizing that Rastafari must address its failure to include women and address sexism if it is to fully realize its promise of liberation for people of African descent.

Through rigorous and sensitive reflections on Rastafari culture and cosmology, this book offers profound insights into the Black theological imagination. Jean-Marie's analysis provides a valuable contribution to the study of religion, race, and identity, challenging prevailing narratives and promoting a more inclusive and equitable understanding of the world. Rastafari is a movement that continues to inspire and influence individuals and communities around the globe, offering a unique perspective on Blackness, spirituality, and social justice.

Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231209762