Creole Religions of the Caribbean
From Vodou and Santería to Obeah and Espiritismo
An Introduction
Margarite Fernández Olmos
and Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert
Published by New York University 2003, Third Edition 2022
Creole Religions of the Caribbean offers a comprehensive introduction to the
overlapping religions that have developed as a result of the creolization process. Caribbean
peoples drew on the variants of Christianity brought by European colonizers, as well as on
African religious and healing traditions and the remnants of Amerindian practices, to fashion
new systems of belief. From Vodou, Santería, Regla de Palo, the Abakuá Secret Society, and
Obeah to Quimbois and Espiritismo, the volume traces the historical-cultural origins of the
major Creole religions, as well as the newer traditions such as Rastafari.
This third edition updates the scholarship by featuring new critical approaches that have been brought to bear on
the study of religion, including queer studies, environmental studies, and diasporic studies.
It also expands regional considerations of the diaspora to the US Hispanic communities
that are influenced by Creole spiritual practices, taking into account the increased significance
of material culture, art, music, literature, and healing practices influenced by Creole religions.
Margarite Fernández Olmos is Emerita Professor of Spanish and Latin American
literatures at Brooklyn College, City University of New York. She is the author or co-editor of
many books, including The Latino Reader: An American Literary Tradition from 1542 to the Present.
Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert is Professor of Caribbean culture and literature in the
Department of Hispanic Studies and The Environmental Studies Program at Vassar College,
where she holds the Sarah Tod Fitz Randolph Distinguished Professor Chair. She is the
author of a number of books and is coeditor with Fernández Olmos of Healing Cultures: Art
and Religion as Curative Practices in the Caribbean and its Diaspora.
"Creole Religions of the Caribbean approaches readers as if they were out-of-town guests at a
dinner party, thoroughly acquainting them with the topics of conversation and encouraging
them to mingle among the liveliest characters."
- The Journal of Religion
"Bravo! A well-written text that de-mystifies Creole spiritual practices and places them in
historical perspective ... a major contribution."
- Multicultural Review
"Provides a unique sociocultural, historical and political analysis of Caribbean religion."
- Centro Journal
"Offers an excellent ... multidisciplinary introduction to the scholarship in this area of study."
- New West Indian Guide
(The text above comes from the back of the book)