Coined in the mid-nineteenth century, the term "voodoo" has been primarily used in the U.S. to describe spiritual practices among people of African descent, often reflecting white anxieties and stereotypes. It has been wielded to label Black individuals as uncivilized, superstitious, hypersexual, violent, and cannibalistic. This exploration delves into the evolving public perceptions of "voodoo," highlighting its connection to racial stereotypes and human rights debates. The term emerged during the U.S. Civil War in the 1860s, particularly after the Union's takeover of New Orleans, where it suggested that Black Americans' "superstitions" indicated their unfitness for freedom, voting rights, and public office. These stereotypes later extended to Cuba and Haiti in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the 1930s, Black religious movements, such as the Moorish Science Temple and the Nation of Islam, were dismissed as "voodoo cults." More recently, perceptions of "voodoo" influenced U.S. policies toward Haitian immigrants in the 1980s and shaped responses to Nigerian rituals linked to human trafficking in the twenty-first century. Drawing on a range of sources, the author illustrates how "voodoo" has often served as a tool for racism, colonialism, and oppression.
