Beschreibung
Decades after its birth and subsequent tour du monde Rastafari has more recently also appeared in
revolutionary Cuba. How the movement has been globalized and subsequentially localized in a socialist
and Spanish speaking context are the main foci of this book. In particular it examines how Cubans have
adopted and adapted the movement to their own socio-political and cultural context and what, given these
circumstances, ‘Babylon’ is in Cuba. As a predominantly Afro-Cuban youth movement particular
attention is paid to Rastafari’s development in the context of Cuba’s current economic crisis and re-
appearance of more overt racism. Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Cuba, the study shows
how Rastafari’s growth and presence on the island have influenced and contributed to the formation and
expression of new cultural identities and discourses with regard to what it means to be young, black and
Cuban.
Katrin Hansing is a social anthropologist who
has worked on numerous Cuba related issues. Her main areas
of interests and expertise include: migration, race/ethnicity
and identity. She is currently the director of a German
Research Council funded research project on Cuba’s social
collaboration ties in Africa.
She can be contacted at: hansingk@fiu.edu
