Without Vision the People Perish

10.5149/northcarolina/9781469633596.003.0002 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Monique A. Bedasse

Keyword(s):

This chapter begins in Jamaica where Rastafarians formulated the philosophy that sent them in search of Africa. It demonstrates Rastafari’s internal complexity by examining all facets of the worldview: from religious imaginaries and rituals to political commitments and strategies. It then goes on to situate the Rastas who went to Tanzania amid this plurality with a view to explaining who these particular Rastafarians were.

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‘Harden not thy Heart’

10.1093/oso/9780198814221.003.0003 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Catie Gill

Keyword(s):

New Approach ◽

Political Critique ◽

The People ◽

Charles Ii ◽

Political Commitments

In 1660, the Quaker Anne Gilman encouraged the Stuart ruler Charles II to govern judiciously, warning: ‘harden not thy heart’. Monarchy’s ability to inexorably remove power from ‘the people’ was concerning; so too were the ruler’s bawdy predilections. The pamphlets explored in this chapter (c.1660–5) spotlight a group of women who endeavoured to remind the ruler that he is accountable not only to the populace, but to God. Pamphleteering of this kind expresses a combination of moral, theological, and political commitments, as writers pointedly sought to inspire in Charles a thoroughgoing reformation. The tendency of some writers, it is argued, is theologically Antinomian. In surveying this writing, this chapter offers a new approach to how women’s political critique combines with theological principle in the Restoration period.

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