Herbs Against Babylon : The Spiritual Meanings of the Rastafari Struggle Over the Sacrament of Ganja in Reggae Lyrics

Abstract

The adherents of the Rastafari movement have long been persecuted by state powers over their sacramental use of ‘ganja’, or cannabis. One function of reggae music is to act as a discursive arena for the construction and communication of a constellation of spiritual meanings related to the persecution of ganja use, as well as Rastafari attempts to resist and overcome said persecution. This thesis aims to outline the spiritual meanings within reggae lyrics related to the ganja struggle, as well as to elucidate their connectedness to each other and the social context of their production. To achieve this, lyrics from a selection of reggae songs are analyzed using theoretical and methodological principles of Critical Discourse Analysis in the Faircloughian vein, combining closer textual analysis with reflections on the social context surrounding their creation to arrive at an understanding of how the social realities of historical struggle are narrated by Rastafari artists ultimately attempting to transform them. The findings of the thesis suggest that within the wider field of reggae discourse, a coherent narrative pattern consistent with the general principles of Rastafari philosophy can be discerned, one framing the struggle over ganja as an integral part of a metaphysical conflict of good and evil eventually culminating in a millenarian transformation of society and the onset of social liberation. The thesis demonstrates how spiritual meanings composing a theology of liberation are a discursive response by Rastas to a social context of persecution and marginalization.