Self-Negation as understood in this research project is the tendency for the African Caribbean people to belittle their African heritage and valorise their European one while being a product of both. This has led to deeply considered critical responses from Caribbean historians, literary and cultural icons, and revolutionary figures. However, this has not been adequately addressed within Caribbean theological reflection, particularly in the way that Self-Negation manifests in the relationship between the Church and African Caribbean indigenous cultural productions. Located in the field of Caribbean Theology, this research project explores and describes the complex relationship between the Church and Junkanoo in contemporary Bahamian society for the purpose of suggesting praxes for addressing Self-Negation. It employs an interdisciplinary Practical, Contextual approach to Theology using ethnographic methods such as interviews and observations to access and reflect on the inner experiences of Bahamians as they integrate or separate the two in every day life. The following conclusions are made as a result of the findings: firstly, the Junkanoo/Church relationship is complex and self-negating; it is marked by dichotomy, ambivalence, and dissonance in identity. Secondly, both the Church and Junkanoo contribute to Self-Negation, but can, and do, also contribute to Overcoming, the opposite process. While the former is perpetuated by a hermeneutic of dichotomy, which continually sees Church and Junkanoo as incompatible, the latter is perpetuated by a hermeneutic of embrace, which sees them as already integrated, mutually critical and creative spaces in which African Bahamian religiocultural identity is affirmed. Thirdly, theologically reflecting on the problematic concept of sin at the heart of the Junkanoo/Church relationship, namely the conflation of African religious and cultural heritage with sinfulness, the research argues for a hermeneutic of embrace to undergird integrative practices between Junkanoo and the Church.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:691270 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Turner, Carlton |
| Contributors | Hewlett, David ; Vernon, Rachele |
| Publisher | University of Gloucestershire |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/3788/ |
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