Spiritual Merchants: Religion, Magic and Commerce
They can be found along the side streets of many American cities: herb or candle shops catering to practitioners of Voodoo, hoodoo, Santería, and similar beliefs. Here one can purchase ritual items and raw materials for the fabrication of traditional charms, plus a variety of soaps, powders, and aromatic goods known in the trade as “spiritual products.” For those seeking health or success, love or protection, these potions offer the power of the saints and the authority of the African gods.\...
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AcknowledgmentsIntroductionPt. IHistorical Antecedents and Traditional Practices1African Origins and European Influences32African-Based Religions in the Latin-Catholic Colonies173New Orleans Voodoo374Conjure, Hoodoo, and Rootwork in the Anglo-Protestant South71Pt. IISold as a Curio Only: The Evolution of the Spiritual Products Industry5The Commodification of Traditional Charms996Mail-Order Doctors and Hoodoo Drugstores1277Candle Shops, Botanicas, Yerberias, and Web Sites1598The Manufacturers1879John the Conqueror: From Magical Root to Manufactured Product221Conclusion247Appendix253Notes265Bibliography293Index303
\ Library JournalSeveral years ago, Wade Davis's The Serpent and the Rainbow (LJ 3/1/86) was popular reading among anthropologists, ethnobotanists, and anyone interested in the culture of the Caribbean. This new book will find favor among a similar audience. Long (preservation specialist and conservator, Smithsonian Museum of American History) quite thoroughly recounts the history and origins of African religion in the New World, going beyond well-known voodoo practices in the Caribbean to include U.S. practice as well. She then concentrates on the development and evolution of the "spiritual products industry." Most voodoo texts mention very little about those shops and merchants that provide supplies for charms and potions, but this book even contains lists of stores and web sites where voodoo supplies can be purchased. A wonderful complement to books on the history and anthropology of voodoo, including the aforementioned Davis book and books of recipes for spells and charms. Recommended for college libraries and public libraries in areas where African American history and anthropology are popular.--Jay Stephens, Roanoke Cty. P.L., VA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\ \
