Chanting Down the New Jerusalem - Calypso, Christianity, and Capitalism in the Caribbean

Probes the ethos and attitude created by radio disc jockeys on the binational Caribbean island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten. This book examines the intersection of Christianity, calypso, and capitalism. "In this brilliant, evocative, and invigorating book, Francio Guadeloupe brings us to the island not as tourists but as guests, welcoming us into the homes and home-truths of a Caribbean world in the making. In the process, he helps us understand the intimate yet mediated rhythms of personal subjectivity and social collectivity that are at work and at play in making meaningful worlds. As a result, this book makes a major contribution to the study of religion and culture in the Caribbean and in the world."—David Chidester, author of Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture In this brilliantly evocative ethnography, Francio Guadeloupe probes the ethos and attitude created by radio disc jockeys on the binational Caribbean island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten. Examining the intersection of Christianity, calypso, and capitalism, Guadeloupe shows how a multiethnic and multireligious island nation, where livelihoods depend on tourism, has managed to encourage all social classes to transcend their ethnic and religious differences. In his pathbreaking analysis, Guadeloupe credits the island DJs, whose formulations of Christian faith, musical creativity, and capitalist survival express ordinary people's hopes and fears and promote tolerance.