Abstract:Quimbanda, no Rio Grande do Sul, é uma modalidade ritual que assumiu um estatuto sem par no restante do Brasil. Designando o culto de exus e pombagiras, a quimbanda alcançou um lugar proeminente em relação a outras expressões afrorreligiosas, como são o batuque e a umbanda. O objetivo deste texto é apontar as condições de possibilidade da quimbanda, mostrando como ela corresponde a um deslocamento em relação a princípios caros uns ao batuque, outros à umbanda. Também as formas de exposição de exus e pombagiras… Show more
In the ever-evolving religious landscape of Brazil, researchers who study contemporary phenomena of religions face a complex and often contradictory reality. The practical application of theoretical categories and concepts in this domain is an endeavor that continues to challenge researchers. Brazil’s religious landscape is characterized by an impressive diversity of beliefs, practices, and convictions that often merge and overlap across different boundaries. This complex reality poses a serious challenge to religious studies, which strives to classify, analyze, and compare phenomena in historical and contemporary dimensions. The problems begin with the basic categories, which are often blurred in their applicability and meaning. Therefore, the focus of this article is to argue that the rapid change and impermanence of categories used in religious studies are due to the deep-rooted contradictions in Brazilian religious reality, which (e)merge, transform, and respond to social, cultural, and political changes in a constant state of flux. These changes cause defined categories that may have made sense at certain times. This article argues, however, that a phenomenological perspective is needed to conceptualize the centrality of spiritual entities to comparative religion. The omnipresence of spirits pervades the entire religious field of Pentecostalism, traditional Christianity, indigenous religions and Shamanism, as well as African-derived religions, which will be exemplified in terms of their references and striking parallels when it comes to the concept of spirits while manifested in human bodies and practices.
In the ever-evolving religious landscape of Brazil, researchers who study contemporary phenomena of religions face a complex and often contradictory reality. The practical application of theoretical categories and concepts in this domain is an endeavor that continues to challenge researchers. Brazil’s religious landscape is characterized by an impressive diversity of beliefs, practices, and convictions that often merge and overlap across different boundaries. This complex reality poses a serious challenge to religious studies, which strives to classify, analyze, and compare phenomena in historical and contemporary dimensions. The problems begin with the basic categories, which are often blurred in their applicability and meaning. Therefore, the focus of this article is to argue that the rapid change and impermanence of categories used in religious studies are due to the deep-rooted contradictions in Brazilian religious reality, which (e)merge, transform, and respond to social, cultural, and political changes in a constant state of flux. These changes cause defined categories that may have made sense at certain times. This article argues, however, that a phenomenological perspective is needed to conceptualize the centrality of spiritual entities to comparative religion. The omnipresence of spirits pervades the entire religious field of Pentecostalism, traditional Christianity, indigenous religions and Shamanism, as well as African-derived religions, which will be exemplified in terms of their references and striking parallels when it comes to the concept of spirits while manifested in human bodies and practices.
O argumento central deste artigo é de que, no Rio Grande do Sul, as transformações no campo afrorreligioso estão acompanhadas por processos de modulação do axé. Estes podem ser observados a partir do universo material e possibilitam que certos objetos atuem de diferentes formas, a partir de múltiplos avatares. Isso só é possível devido as dinâmicas de diferenciação, atualização e individuação das forças que atuam no mundo, próprias do universo religioso afro-brasileiro, situadas em um “constante jogo dialético entre o mesmo e o outro” (Augras, 2008, p.21). Como consequência, tal como buscarei argumentar, surgem processos miméticos - mimetismos afro-brasileiros - que se mostram como desafios de pesquisa e que podem ser observados em controvérsias que eclodem no campo afrorreligioso. Para abordar tais questões, atento para a circulação e movimento dos tambores no campo afro-gaúcho. Por fim, considero que este artigo contribui para um debate mais amplo, acerca das materialidades religiosas afro-brasileiras.
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