As we discussed the Rastafari religion, one theme that was emphasized was how the Rastafari culture has been fused with the colonial culture to form a unique Jamaican identity. While I do agree that this is true, I do not think that most people around the world view Jamaican culture in this way. Because of the rise of Rastafarianism, most people around the world associate Jamaica with Rastas even though most of the population is not of this religion.
This type of cultural stereotyping based on a religion is also seen in Utah with the Mormon religion. Although most of the people in Utah, and more specifically Salt Lake City, are not of the Mormon religion, the culture is often stereotyped. Although Mormonism does have a large presence in the area, as seen by the picture of the Mormon Cathedral in the center of Salt Lake City, it does not mean that it completely defines the people. Salt Lake City has many different types of people and religions that make up their culture, but this unusual concentration of Mormons has left them stereotyped.
These two highly different regions both show how a religion can come to stereotypically define a culture. This is something to keep in mind when studying religion and its impacts on people and places. This type of cultural stereotyping is an interesting effect of a growing, unusual religion.
Another Post on Mormonism and Rastafari by Nathan Goodson-Gregg
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