Leave Babylon: The Trope of Babylon in Rastafarian Discourse

Autor:	Steed Davidson
Rok vydání:	2008
Předmět:	Literature business.industry media_common.quotation_subject Philosophy Religious studies Empire Trope (philosophy) Rastafarian religion.religion religion Counterpoint Revelation Motif (narrative) British Empire Zionism business media_common
Zdroj:	Black Theology. 6:46-60
ISSN:	1743-1670 1476-9948
DOI:	10.1558/blth2008v6i1.46
Popis:	This article explores the usage of the term "Babylon" in Rastafarian liberation discourse as distinct from the exodus motif normally associated with theologies of liberation. This usage comes mainly from Marcus Garvey's notion of a "Black Zionism" that pictured Zion as a place of restoration. In its usage in the prophetic books of Jeremiah and Isaiah, Zion serves as the foil for Babylon and in many instances the two topoi are paired. The article argues that the Rastafarian reading of the biblical texts, more so the prophets and not the book of Revelation, generated the notion of Babylon as the evil empire; any place outside of Africa as Babylon, and the British Empire as Babylon with Zion as its counterpoint. An exploration of the music of Bob Marley, as representative of Rastafarian discourse, also reflects the pairing of Babylon-Zion, as seen in the prophetic texts.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::1de4a8a576a74d483645bd9c574b49a5 https://doi.org/10.1558/blth2008v6i1.46 Zobrazit plný text záznamu Plný text ve formátu PDF