Reviews
Clearly destined to become a classic in diaspora studies.
--Anthropology Review Database
This interesting book builds on and adds to the small but growing literature on Salvadoran migration and should be of interest to a wide readership. It also should make an important contribution to different fields of inquiry, particularly transnational and migration studies, ethnic and community studies, as well as Latin American development studies.
--Journal of Latin American Anthropology
A unique ethnographic enquiry into the rarely mentioned mating of economics and religion.
--New West Indian Guide
A detailed and moving ethnography.
--H-Net
A must-read for anthropologists, ethnomusicologists, and other students of Caribbean expressive culture; the book's appeal should extend to those outside of the academy as well.
--The World of Music
Karen Richman's Migration and Vodou is a tour de force of social history, narrative ethnography and ritual analysis.
--Anthropological Quarterly
Social scientists concerned with the complex interplay of culture, society, and political economy in the formation and reproduction of transnational communities will find a model to emulate in Richman's rich description, discerning analysis, and provocative argument.
--anthrosource.net
A work of great scholarship, compasion, and insight. Readable enough for undergraduate courses. Useful to advanced scholars. The skill with which the author incorporates multisited ethnography, issues of transnational community, the development of a specific form of Vodou, political economy, and history in a single, rich narrative should serve as an example to other enthnographers.
--Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology
A very close look into diverging expectations and needs separating the Haitian transnational community and the ethos of extended families who compete for resources, power and moral integrity.
--Ethnos
A remarkably broad and deep ethnography that engages with several bodies of literature at once. . . . Sets a new standard for Haitian ethnography.
--Journal of Latin American Geography
This original research offers a uniquely local perspective on national political intrigues and coercive international agro-business strategies, while intersecting with the relevant literature. . . . Essential reading for all Haitian scholars.
--Latin American Music Review
The power of [Richman’s] work lies in her ability to convincingly demonstrate how changes within religious practices respond to and frame peasant vulnerability at the hands of the Haitian elite and multinational industry. . . . [Her] combination of meticulous historical research with immersive ethnography yields a broader portrait of how subaltern communities negotiate relationships of power than many ethnographies offer.
--H-AfrArts