Caribbean Diaspora in the USA

Caribbean Diaspora in USA presents a new cultural theory which was developed based on fieldwork in New York City among Caribbean religious communities. The Caribbean culture of New York demonstrates a cultural dynamism that is difficult to describe, embracing Spanish speaking, English speaking and French speaking migrants. All cultures are full of breaks and contradictions as Latin American and Caribbean theorists have demonstrated in their ongoing debate. This book combines the fieldwork in Caribbean New York with the theoretical discourse of Latin American and Caribbean scholars.The fieldwork in Caribbean New York focuses on Caribbean religious communities, mainly observations among Cuban/Puerto Rican Santería (Regla de Ocha), Haitian Vodou, and Shango (Orisha Baptist) from Trinidad and Tobago but also in a Brazilian Pentecostal church. Schmidt's observations lead to the construction of a cultural concept that illustrates a culture in an ongoing state of change, with more than one form of expression depending on situation, time and context. Showing the creativity of religions and the way immigrants adapt to their new surroundings, this book fills a gap between Latin American and Caribbean Studies and shows the interconnections between two fields of studies

Bettina E. Schmidt is a Lecturer in the Study of Religions and Director of Graduate Studies at Bangor University, Wales, UK.