ANT215H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Dreadlocks, Eudaimonia, Rastafari
WEEK 10: Rastafarianism
• There is a tendency for relating your social life with identity and this way of
thinking is reductive
• The interests we have outside of our social life, our passions are really what gives
our lives meaning - a rich sense of identity
- Gives your life meaning
- Also connections to people, places and other things
i.e. it matters if you care about birds, cars, etc.
• Rastafarianism is the rejection of this way of thinking (reduction to personal
identity to social function)
• The reason why we don’t have eudaemonia is because of the social relationships we
have with one another. We are also caught in the web of illusion and fail to see
reality for what it is.
• The Rastafarian way of living focuses on the lifting of the veil of illusion; seeing
things clearly and focusing on the truth. The way that we think and talk clouds
reality and we are taken in by this illusion.
• There is an emphasis of how you are going to get there, you have to change
language
• Rastafarianism involves of the rejection of an already existing way of life
• Emerged in the 1930s in Jamaica through an influence of many events.
• There was widespread discontent and large differences between rich and poor;
thus differences in terms of skin color. Post colonial time
• Diverse set of religious traditions
• Ras Tafari (name of Emperor Haile Salasi before he was crowned) ras =
chief…fari =
• Leonard Howell established a community at Pinnacle gathering followers
• Preaching religion on the streets
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
• Sold postcards as a legal document to get into Ethiopia
• Founded the Ethipoian Salvation Society = Pinnacle
• Police raided it in the 1940s due to growing of ganja
• They ended up going to Kingston and this is when Rastafarianism really got
going. Dispersed it and contributed to the spreading of religion
throughout society
Reading 1:
• Life as a Rastafarianism in Kingston in 1960s were consisted of un-or-
underemployed participants
• a Ras Tafari band is extremely democratic
• 5 points of doctrine
• 6 themes
Reading 2: Kitzinger’s - The Rastafarian brethren of Jamaica
• Returning to Africa is an important goal. Ancient land and thus live in happiness
and plenty
• Withdrawal from mainstream society
• Development of Rastafarianism doctrine has evolved from what was primarily a
political movement to a more philosophical one that focuses on nature.
• not every man is a Rasta; the dreads and beard known as “art” is the inherent
ability to know the things of God to discern between the false and true and to
communicate this knowledge
• Language is important to this because it is achieved through dialogue and
conversations
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
There was widespread discontent and large differences between rich and poor; thus differences in terms of skin color. Post colonial time: diverse set of religious traditions. Ras tafari (name of emperor haile salasi before he was crowned) ras = chief fari = Leonard howell established a community at pinnacle gathering followers. Sold postcards as a legal document to get into ethiopia. Police raided it in the 1940s due to growing of ganja. They ended up going to kingston and this is when rastafarianism really got going. Dispersed it and contributed to the spreading of religion throughout society. Reading 1: life as a rastafarianism in kingston in 1960s were consisted of un-or- underemployed participants, a ras tafari band is extremely democratic, 5 points of doctrine, 6 themes. Reading 2: kitzinger"s - the rastafarian brethren of jamaica: returning to africa is an important goal.
