The Rastafari have long transcended the place specificity that exclusively associated their movement with Jamaica following the earlier days of its inception in the 1930's and have envisioned themselves as a nation beyond national, linguistic, and cultural boundaries. They have crossed and challenged these boundaries by establishing extensive networks that form the essence of an ever-growing diaspora. This dissertation examines how, in recent years, the Rastafari have sought to organize, centralize, and formalize their movement by engaging in nation-building processes at both local and transnational levels. To analyze the dynamics at work, I look at the vision, practices, and endeavors put forth by the Solidarity Churchical Organization of St. Martin and argue that the congregation members' commitment to nation building and the ways in which they realize it are unique and pioneering amongst the Rastafari Using the performance of the Seven Sacraments and---most recently---a large-scale farming project as their vehicle to consolidate the Rastafari Nation and guarantee its perpetuation in future generations, Solidarity members' relentless engagement in nation building relies on the cohesive structure of their foundation and the services they provide at the local level. Outside of St. Martin, Solidarity's transnational involvement is facilitated by frequent travels and participation in international Rastafari organizations. Opportunities to encounter bredrins and sistrens from different countries and continents function to crystallize a sense of collective memory, communal values, and shared identity amongst the Rastafari. Yet they also embody many of the tensions that ensue from dissent regarding what defines Rastafari in terms of spiritual orientations, practices, as well as gender roles and race A crucial premise of this work is that, when applied to the Rastafari, notions of nation building and transnationalism do not contradict each other but rather coexist in new spaces of identity defined by changing human landscapes in which people seek to maintain connections and claims to identities beyond localized geographies
