• DOI:10.1177/0021934714555186
• Corpus ID: 54828385

The Scapegoating of Haitian Vodou Religion

@article{Hebblethwaite2015TheSO,
  title={The Scapegoating of Haitian Vodou Religion},
  author={Benjamin Hebblethwaite},
  journal={Journal of Black Studies},
  year={2015},
  volume={46},
  pages={22 - 3}
}

• Benjamin Hebblethwaite
• Published 1 January 2015
• History
• Journal of Black Studies

Shortly after the catastrophic earthquake that crushed Port-au-Prince and the surrounding towns on January 12, 2010, The New York Times published an article in which columnist David Brooks claimed that “voodoo” is a “progress-resistant” cultural influence because it spreads the message that “life is capricious and planning futile.” Alongside Brooks, many authors promote similar views, especially Christians. I argue that Vodou does not negatively affect progress in Haiti. Rather, there are historical, linguistic, and governmental policies that limit progress. In reality, Vodou practitioners enhance progress in their attention to the planning and giving of ceremonies, in the hierarchical organization they establish in communities, in their ritual and language, and in the education imparted through inheritance, teaching, and initiation. The scapegoating of Vodou by Brooks and others perpetuates a racist colonial legacy, and it betrays an ignorance of the community and the abundant research about it.