Hi Jolane,
There has been a ton of work done of the African diasporic religions beyond Maya Deren. Remember that she was primarily a dancer and what would today be called an ethnochoreologist; thus her work is limited by her very specific focus. You might start by looking at the work of anthropologist Alfred Metreaux -- sorry I don't have the exact bib here, but a search through any library database will yield the correct titles; he's classic. I would also strongly recommend Karen McCarthy Brown's _Mama Lola_ (Berkeley: U of California Press, 1991 and now in 2nd edition as well); I use it as a text in classes, and it's both scholarly and accessible. It also has a thorough bibliography that will yield many additional resources.
_Western Folklore_ will soon have a special issue out on Afro-Caribbean religions; look for that in summer 2006.
Best,
Sabina
---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 13:22:45 -0000
>From: Jolane Abrams <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Delurking: Maya Deren on Voudou
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>Hello out there - been hanging around in the background for a while. My
>background is mostly scientific - I've done molecular biology and
>neuroscience - but I'm getting more and more interested in esoterica these
>days, possibly as a result of frustration at the limits of scientific
>method :).
>
>I've been interested in African Diaspora religions for about 10 years now
>and have just read Maya Deren's classic Divine Horsemen:the Living Gods of
>Haiti.
>
>What I find particularly interesting is her evidence for the combination
>of of indigenous American traditions into Voudou, and I wondered if there
>had been any further work done in this area. A Google search has not
>turned up anything useful, other than "Her argument seems frail." (I don't
>have access to any university databases, unfortunately).
>
>Any pointers much appreciated...
Sabina Magliocco
Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology
California State University
18111 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91330-8244
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