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

Francio Guadeloupe

University of California Press, Dec 30, 2008 - Religion - 272 pages

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.

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.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Chanting Down the New Jerusalem: Calypso, Christianity, and Capitalism in the Caribbean; Volume 4 of The Anthropology of Christianity
• Author: Francio Guadeloupe
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: University of California Press, 2008
• ISBN: 0520254899, 9780520254893
• Length: 272 pages
• Subjects: Performing Arts / Radio / General; Religion / Christianity / General