Popular Catholicism and Social Change in St Lucia

Abstract

In the parish of Jacmel/Roseau, on the southwest coast of the island of St Lucia, situated in the Caribbean, a contemporary drama is unfolding. A conflict exists between a society headed towards the world of science, technology and liberal economy of the 21st century, on the one hand, and the spiritual and non-scientific one of the majority of its inhabitants, on the other. Based on field research done between 1995 and 1997, the author examines the ties existing between popular culture, popular Catholicism and social change in this parish. This analysis of social change takes place through an examination of the effects of modernization on communities and the impact of globalization on the banana industry, the principal economic activity of the parish.

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