How the word ‘voodoo’ became a racial slur

[...]the first time the term was widely used was after the Union forces seized New Orleans during the U.S. Civil War. Historian Kate Ramsey writes in her 2011 book, “The Spirits and the Law: Vodou and Power in Haiti,” that while U.S. Marines were occupying Haiti from 1915 to 1934, they persecuted an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Conversation U.S
Main Author Boaz, Danielle N
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Boston The Conversation US, Inc 23.01.2024
Subjects
20th century
Cannibalism
Cholera
Diaspora
Earthquakes
Religion
Spirituality
Stereotypes
Violence
Voodoo
Haiti
United States > US
Africa
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Summary:[...]the first time the term was widely used was after the Union forces seized New Orleans during the U.S. Civil War. Historian Kate Ramsey writes in her 2011 book, “The Spirits and the Law: Vodou and Power in Haiti,” that while U.S. Marines were occupying Haiti from 1915 to 1934, they persecuted and prosecuted devotees – arresting the people they found participating in ceremonies and burning their sacred objects. [...]approximately 3 in 10 respondents believed that followers of voodoo were more likely to be involved in criminal activity than the average person, and an astonishing 64% said they believed that followers of voodoo were more likely to practice black magic or witchcraft than the average person. [...]I argue that when someone makes a statement like, “That just sounds like some ‘voodoo’ to me!” they are co-signing the long racist history of the term and promoting the idea that religions from Africa are primitive, evil and barbaric.