Black Rebels : African-Caribbean Freedom Fighters in Jamaica [Paperback]

Werner Zips (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1558762132 | ISBN-13: 978-1558762138 | Publication Date: July 1999

"This book fulfills the author's promise to write a history of resistance instead of a history of domination. . . . African-Americans who escaped from slavery and developed autonomous societies beyond the fringes of the colonial system demonstrated the vulnerability of colonial rule and the vitality of black resistance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Zips skillfully combines the critical analysis of historical documents, oral history, and ethnography based on his fieldwork in the 1980s. This book is clearly written and has a good bibliography." - -- Choice

In this study of the Maroons of Jamaica, Zips skillfully combines the critical analysis of historical documents, oral history, and ethnography based on his fieldwork in the 1980s. Originating in the 17th century, Jamaican Maroons created several remote communities, fought British colonizers to a standstill, and negotiated treaties in the 18th century that have preserved their independence to the present. Contrary to Mavis Campbell, who that the treaties constituted a "betrayal" of their struggle for freedom because they agreed to collaborate in returning escaped slaves, Zips contends that their "separatist" politics, by shifting from a strategy of military to diplomatic resistance, succeeded in achieving their goals. Consequently, he identifies the Maroons as precursors of Marcus Garvey's movement, Rastafarianism, and other 20th-century movements of cultural resistance that reject domination by Europeans and focus positively on their African identity and heritage. The book is clearly written and has a good bibliography. Recommended for any person or program examining the history and culture of Africans in the Americas or for colonial and postcolonial studies. -- Choice Magazine, April, 2000, Vol. 37, No. 8

Review of the German edition: "This book fulfills the author's promise to write a history of resistance instead of a history of domination.... African-Americans who escaped from slavery and developed autonomous societies beyond the fringes of the colonial system demonstrated the vulnerability of colonial rule and the vitality of black resistance.

The context of marronage is carefully established: the plantation system as an economic and ideological machine fueled by the abuse of black working power and the forms of black resistance against the terror of exploitation. The concept of resistance stresses the importance of new forms of syncretic ethnic identities after the destruction of traditional tribal structures.

It is one of the attractions of the book that Zips probes the structure of unequal confrontation between the British and the Maroons, which made highly specialized skills necessary to compensate for smaller numbers and inferior weapons..." (New West Indian Guide (Netherlands), vol. 70, nos. 3-4 (1996)) -- (New West Indian Guide (Netherlands), vol. 70, nos. 3-4 (1996))

This book fulfills the author's promise to write a history of resistance instead of a history of domination. . . . African-Americans who escaped from slavery and developed autonomous societies beyond the fringes of the colonial system demonstrated the vulnerability of colonial rule and the vitality of black resistance.

"The context of marronage is carefully established: the plantation system as an economic and ideological machine fueled by the abuse of black working power and the forms of black resistance against the terror of exploitation. The concept of resistance stresses the importance of new forms of syncretic ethnic identities after the destruction of traditional tribal structures. Zips probes the structure of unequal confrontation between the British and the Maroons, which made highly specialized skills necessary. The central part of the book deals with the current history and organization of the surviving Maroon villages in Jamaica.

"It is to be hoped that this stimulating and well-researched study will be translated into English and there find the resonance it deserves within the discourse of post-colonial studies." -- New West Indian Guide (Netherlands)

From the Publisher

ISBN mix-up alert: The ISBN for Libete: A Haiti Anthology is 1-55876-229-9, HC $39.95. The ISBN for Libete: A Haiti Anthology PB is 1-55876-230-2. The ISBNs above are for Werner Zips, Black Rebels: African-Caribbean Freedom Fighters in Jamaica, PB $22.95, HC $49.95. All four books are immediately available and in stock in the warehouse of the publisher (e-mail: [e-mail]).

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Markus Wiener Pub (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558762132
• ISBN-13: 978-1558762138
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,639,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fight for freedom, October 3, 2001

By 

Alexandra (Vienna, Austria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Rebels : African-Caribbean Freedom Fighters in Jamaica (Hardcover)

Dear Reader from the UK (previous review) please note that this book is about Jamaica, Jamaican Maroons and their history, which of course touches the topic of Haiti, but Haiti is NOT the main focus of this book and your review shows, that you mean a different book altogether.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect introduction to Haitian history and culture, November 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Black Rebels : African-Caribbean Freedom Fighters in Jamaica (Paperback)

Haiti is a country that provokes strong responses and Libete is the perfect introduction to the wide variety of voices that have commented on the country and its history. Inevitably, there is much tragedy to relate both in the brutal history of slavery and in the later oppression and exploitation of the Haitian peasantry by the wealthy elite and the consistent interference from successive U.S. governments, which sadly continues to this day. Each chapter focuses on a particular topic, drawing on around 20 different commentators, both foreign and Haitian. Many of these are contemporary reports, relating true life stories from the city streets and country villages, showing a life that many people living in affluent Western culture simply have no concept of at all. Yet the story of Haiti is also one of struggle and courage in the face of adversity and these voices are clearly heard as well in Libete. Many good people working in small ways to the best of their ability to improve life for the poor, who form such an overwhelming majority. Another message that comes through the book is that it is this majority who constitute the soul of Haiti, which is so vibrantly expressed in Haitian culture. In the section on literature, it is significant that Haitian authors, largely drawn from the elite class, either celebrate peasant culture or despise it - it is clearly too strong to simply ignore. Vodou is also an integral part of this culture and the extracts included reflect the diversity of attitudes towards this much maligned spiritual tradition. One of my favourite sections is the selection of proverbs, amongst which is "Money goes where money is" which seems to sum up current economic theory very neatly. Buy this book and find out how the majority live!