Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Vesperi, Maria
Keywords
New Orleans, Louisiana, Voodoo, Ethnography
Area of Concentration
Anthropology
Abstract
New Orleans, Louisiana is credited for the introduction of Voodoo to the United States. While Voodoo and its commodification began to catch fire more than a century past, it remains present in the city today as both a religious practice and a significant aspect of the tourist industry. In this study I focus on Voodoo as it is relevant to New Orleans currently, using ethnographic research and musical analysis of ritual practices and secular aesthetic tropes presented within the city. My research is based on interviews, observations, and participant-observation in events between June 2014 and January 2015. My fieldwork was conducted primarily in the French Quarter and Bywater neighborhoods of New Orleans. I conclude that the secular and sacred faces of Voodoo rely on each other to grow as important aspects of New Orleans culture.
Recommended Citation
Barnes-Duke, Harriet, "Voodoo Fire : An Ethnographic Study of the Multifaceted Nature of New Orleans Voodoo" (2015). Theses & ETDs. 4984.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/4984