Description
Within the colonial and post-colonial Anglophone Caribbean, the word Obeah is used as a catch-all term to refer to the magico-religious practices of enslaved Africans. Often described by the colonial authorities as ‘witchcraft’, Obeah was outlawed on many British islands as it was seen as a vehicle for resistance and an affront to the Christian colonial order of sugar plantation life. The use of spells and apotropaic (protective) devices, hidden botanical knowledge, and the widespread belief in duppies (ghosts) were all viewed at once as the legacy of African superstitions, but also as potentially powerful spiritual expressions which had the potential to act as a focal point for popular resistance (a view reinforced by the perception of the role of Vodou in the shattering revolutionary events on Sainte Domingue/Haiti from 1791-1804 which overthrew the French colonial system there). This paper considers the materiality, or archaeology, of Obeah, paying attention to ritual objects, attitudes to death and Obeah in the island landscape inter alia, as well as the role of Obeah in social memory of enslaved peoples and in contemporary cultural narratives. Particular attention focuses upon the diverse African, European and American contexts of Obeah, related Caribbean magico-religious expressions and wider global perspectives on archaeologies of ‘witchcraft’.| Period | 15 Sept 2023 |
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| Held at | University College London, United Kingdom |
| Degree of Recognition | International |