ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a historical perspective on the three key Black traditions that have helped to provide the ideological, philosophical, and theological foundations for the Rastafari movement: Pan-Africanism, Black Nationalism, and Ethiopianism. Additionally, it provides a historical overview of the Rastafari movement itself, from its inception to the twenty-first century, by incorporating the “epoch” as the frame of analysis. The first epoch of the movement’s historical trajectory stretches from 1930 to1948 and is characterized by the governorship of the movement by the first generation of Rastafari leaders. The second epoch, 1948–1968, is characterized by the emergence of the second generation of Rastafari leaders. The third epoch, 1968–1981, is characterized by the movement’s firmly established symbiotic relationship with reggae music. The fourth epoch, 1981–2007, is characterized by the death of the second-generation leaders, which forces the movement into an existential crisis. The fifth epoch marks the entry into a new millennium.
