The Rastafarians (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: white planters, ambivalent routinization, rian movement, Haile Selassie, United States, Bob Marley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The twentieth anniversary edition of the classic study of the culture, religion, history, ideology, and influence of the Rastafarians of Jamaica.


"Barrett offers the most comprehensive study to date of the Rastafarians."

—Bulletin of the Center for the Study of World Religions
"The most thorough, careful consideration of the Rasta phenomenon available to the general reader."


— The Boston Phoenix

About the Author

Leonard E. Barrett, Sr., is graduate professor of religion at Temple University, and author of Soul-Force.

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Product Details Paperback: 306 pages Publisher: Beacon Press; 20 Anv edition (December 12, 1997) Language: English ISBN-10: 0807010391 ISBN-13: 978-0807010396 Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,735 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #1 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Rastafari #10 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Tribal & Ethnic #11 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > African American

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More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Leonard E. Barrett Page

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
white planters, ambivalent routinization, rian movement, leading brethren, holy herb

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Haile Selassie, United States, Bob Marley, Ethiopian Orthodox, Ras Tafari, Twelve Tribes, Montego Bay, After Selassie, Sam Sharpe, New York, Marcus Garvey, Morant Bay, Sam Brown, Jamaican History, Paradise Island, Captain Cudjoe, Jah Rastafari, Eastern Caribbean, University of the West Indies, Ras Brown, Ethiopian World Federation, King of Kings, Rosalie Avenue, Daily Gleaner, Third World

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	64% buy the item featured on this page: The Rastafarians 4.5 out of 5 stars (14) $10.88
	12% buy The Kebra Negast: The Lost Bible of Rastafarian Wisdom and Faith from Ethiopia and Jamaica 4.2 out of 5 stars (13) $15.61
	10% buy Rasta Heart: A Journey Into One Love 4.8 out of 5 stars (10) $12.78
	8% buy 60 Visions: A Book of Prophecy 4.6 out of 5 stars (19) $12.95

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews 5 star:  (9) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.5 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 12 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Jah Rastafari!, February 29, 2004 By  Jason Nelson "musshin" (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Being somewhat familiar with the Rastafari movement already and being somewhat fascinated by the culture I decided to read this book. The book starts out by tracing the history of slavery in Jamaica and outlining the conditions that precipitated a movement such as Rastafarianism which seeks a more equitable and just society. A decent amount is dedicated to Ethiopia and the idea of Ethiopianism where Rastafarians basically view this country in the same way as Zion is viewed by the Jews. Later elaboration explains mythical elements of the religion as well as the symbols, beliefs and rituals of the group such as smoking herb for a deeper understanding of a cosmic consciousness. I especially enjoyed the parts in the book where the author expounded upon the artistic improvements Rastas have made not only in Jamaica but the world over with things such as reggae music. Also kudos to him for talking about Bob Marley because he is a good reason the religion has gained popularity the world over. I won't give this book a 5 of 5 though because I did find the last chapter to be somewhat rambling and some of the ideas in the book are repeated a little bit too much for my taste. I think some people who aren't as interested in the movement as I am would have a little trouble keeping interested the whole way through. All-in-all though I think this is a pretty good read and does a good job explaining the basics of the Rastafarian beliefs and also gives detail about the socio-economic factors that contributed to this voice against colonialism and oppression. 25 of 29 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars At least there's some worthwhile content, February 22, 2001 By  B. Jackson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    As I have an interest in studying various sects, and had not yet spent much time learning about Rastafarianism, I bought this book for an introduction to that faith. I will say that there is much valuable content in it regarding the history of Jamaica and Jamaican slavery and the beliefs and rituals of various Rastafarian groups, and even an interesting though slim aside on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. On the other hand, the writing is amateurish and repetitive. Perhaps each chapter began life initially as an individual paper and Barrett later compiled separate papers into his book, without removing repetitive, overlapping information. However, this does not explain the overall fair, and sometimes poor, quality of the writing in general. Additionally, while often bending over backward to apologize for questionable aspects of Rastafarian history, he seems to treat other religious traditions on the island with an attitude of judgmental disdain. Though I learned a good deal of history, I did not feel that I was reading a scholarly work. 12 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars the most overlooked book i've read in rastafari, September 29, 1999 By A Customer thorough, this gives the reader a great look at Rasta through a Jamaican point of view. the boba man is covered in his earlier days. the binghi is given proper place in rasta. flaws include the lack of identification given to Gad as his picture is there. much attention was given to Sam Brown, is that a good thing? not sure, but this book is to one the pre-cursor as far as an outsider learning about Rasta.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars very interesting I found this book to be a very interesting and informative book about the history of the slaves in Jamaica and the lifestyles of Rastafarians on the island Published 22 months ago by Rasta_girl 4.0 out of 5 stars A very good overview of Rastafarianism A very good overview of Rastafarianism Leonard E. Barrett, Sr., is graduate professor of religion at Temple University and the current printing of "The Rastafarians"... Read more Published on August 5, 2007 by William Courson 5.0 out of 5 stars Want to start learning about Rastafarians? This book was an excellent reference for my begining research on Rasta's, especially how they came about. If you don't know much about this culture & people, this is a good base. Published on March 8, 2007 by Edith C. Williams 5.0 out of 5 stars Rasta I really enjoyed this book. What's so amazing about this book is that it is a history text AND totally readable. It goes into depth about various cultural aspects. Read more Published on January 7, 2006 by What I Know 5.0 out of 5 stars I found this book helpful This is the first book I read on Rastafarianism. I chose it because the author is not a Rastafarian, but he is sympathetic to the religion. Read more Published on November 23, 2004 by Dana Garrett 5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Study of a misunderstood Faith The Rastafarians is an exceptional work that chronicles the development of Rastafarianism in historical and sociological contexts. Read more Published on February 11, 2001 by vagrant-lbc 5.0 out of 5 stars jah lives what can i say. It is a very good book, not expected. Teaches you all you must know about the rastafarian culture and religion. I recomend it to everyone who has an open mind. Published on November 22, 2000 by joao franco guntenaar 5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome book I read this book in one breath and must say that I loved it. If you want to know more about rastafarians this is the right book Published on June 11, 2000 by Remco Guntenaar 4.0 out of 5 stars A specific and thorough study. This book was extremely informative, and gives you a sufficient education on the movement, the practices, the past, and the future of Rastafarianism. Read more Published on May 17, 2000 by hipsta 5.0 out of 5 stars VERY INFORMATIVE As a friend of Jamaica, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the Rastas or Jamaican history. Read more Published on March 7, 1998 by [e-mail] Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; 20 Anv edition (December 12, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807010391
• ISBN-13: 978-0807010396
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,735 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Rastafari
  #10 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Tribal & Ethnic
  #11 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > African American

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jah Rastafari!, February 29, 2004

By	Jason Nelson "musshin" (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Being somewhat familiar with the Rastafari movement already and being somewhat fascinated by the culture I decided to read this book. The book starts out by tracing the history of slavery in Jamaica and outlining the conditions that precipitated a movement such as Rastafarianism which seeks a more equitable and just society. A decent amount is dedicated to Ethiopia and the idea of Ethiopianism where Rastafarians basically view this country in the same way as Zion is viewed by the Jews. Later elaboration explains mythical elements of the religion as well as the symbols, beliefs and rituals of the group such as smoking herb for a deeper understanding of a cosmic consciousness. I especially enjoyed the parts in the book where the author expounded upon the artistic improvements Rastas have made not only in Jamaica but the world over with things such as reggae music. Also kudos to him for talking about Bob Marley because he is a good reason the religion has gained popularity the world over. I won't give this book a 5 of 5 though because I did find the last chapter to be somewhat rambling and some of the ideas in the book are repeated a little bit too much for my taste. I think some people who aren't as interested in the movement as I am would have a little trouble keeping interested the whole way through. All-in-all though I think this is a pretty good read and does a good job explaining the basics of the Rastafarian beliefs and also gives detail about the socio-economic factors that contributed to this voice against colonialism and oppression.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars At least there's some worthwhile content, February 22, 2001

By	B. Jackson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As I have an interest in studying various sects, and had not yet spent much time learning about Rastafarianism, I bought this book for an introduction to that faith. I will say that there is much valuable content in it regarding the history of Jamaica and Jamaican slavery and the beliefs and rituals of various Rastafarian groups, and even an interesting though slim aside on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. On the other hand, the writing is amateurish and repetitive. Perhaps each chapter began life initially as an individual paper and Barrett later compiled separate papers into his book, without removing repetitive, overlapping information. However, this does not explain the overall fair, and sometimes poor, quality of the writing in general. Additionally, while often bending over backward to apologize for questionable aspects of Rastafarian history, he seems to treat other religious traditions on the island with an attitude of judgmental disdain. Though I learned a good deal of history, I did not feel that I was reading a scholarly work.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the most overlooked book i've read in rastafari, September 29, 1999

By A Customer

thorough, this gives the reader a great look at Rasta through a Jamaican point of view. the boba man is covered in his earlier days. the binghi is given proper place in rasta. flaws include the lack of identification given to Gad as his picture is there. much attention was given to Sam Brown, is that a good thing? not sure, but this book is to one the pre-cursor as far as an outsider learning about Rasta.