Religion and the Politics of Ethnic Identity in Bahia, Brazil

187 Pages·2007·1.51 MB·English

by  Stephen Selka

ANTHROPOLOGY/RELIGION Selka Religion and the politics
of Ethnic Identity in Bahia, Brazil
o Brazilians of African descent draw upon both
f
Christian and African diasporic religions to
Stephen Selka is assistant professor of African “A brave work that helps relieve the issue of race and religion in ER
construct their racial identities in a variety of
American and African Diaspora Studies and Brazil from the heavy weight of ideology it all too often carries, while thel intriguing ways. Focusing on the Recôncavo
American Studies at Indiana University. advancing the discussion of Brazilian racial politics to a new level of nig region of northeastern Brazil—known for its
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sophistication.” cio rich Afro-Brazilian traditions and as a center

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I of racial consciousness in the country—
Front cover, clockwise from top right: A painting of one —John Burdick, Syracuse University d
of the stations of the cross at the church of Our Lady ea Stephen Selka provides a nuanced and
nn
of the Rosary of the Blacks; a portrait of Santa Barbara “A fascinating look at the role religion plays in struggles over identity td sophisticated ethnography that explores what
aat m thuer aclh duercphic otifn Og uXra Lnagdoy i onf dthoew Rntooswarny Soaf ltvhaed Borla; cks; and racism in Brazil. This is a richly detailed, theoretically sophisticated, ity th it meansS teol kbae ebxlaamcki nine sB hroazwil .Evangelical
clearly written, and important exploration of the ways in which
statues of Pretos Velhos at the church of Our Lady e
of the Rosary of the Blacks in Salvador. All photo- Catholicism, Candomblé, and Evangelical Protestantism figure into in Protestantism, Candomblé (traditional
p
Afro-Brazilian religion), and Catholicism—
graphs are by the author. resistance, struggle, and the construction of Afro-Brazilian identity.” Bo
al especially progressive Catholicism—are
i
—Lindsey Hale, University of Texas, Austin ht deployed in discursive struggles concerning
iaic racism and identity. Making use of formal
,s
A volume in the series New World surveys, informal and formal interviews,
B
Diasporas, edited by Kevin A. Yelvington. participant observation, and immersion in
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a the field, Selka presents a rich ethnographic
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i perspective and illuminates the ways that
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religion interfaces with racial identity. In the
university press of florida process, he provides a model for wedding
abstract theory with the concrete details of
www.upf.com everyday life.
Revealing the complex and sometimes
contradictory aspects of Afro-Brazilian
religious practices and racial identity, Selka
ISBN 978-0-8130-3171-2 brings a balanced perspective to polarized
,!7IA8B3-adbhbc! discussions of Brazilian racial politics.
upf
Stephen Selka
Religion and the Politics of Ethnic Identity in Bahia, Brazil
New World Diasporas
University Press of Florida
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola
New World Diasporas
Edited by Kevin A. Yelvington
This series seeks to stimulate critical perspectives on diaspora processes in the New World.
Representations of “race” and ethnicity, the origins and consequences of nationalism, migratory
streams and the advent of transnationalism, the dialectics of “homelands” and diasporas, trade
networks, gender relations in immigrant communities, the politics of displacement and exile,
and the utilization of the past to serve the present are among the phenomena addressed by
original, provocative research in disciplines such as anthropology, history, political science,
and sociology.
International Editorial Board
Herman L. Bennett, Rutgers University
Gayle K. Brunelle, California State University at Fullerton
Jorge Duany, Universidad de Puerto Rico
Sherri Grasmuck, Temple University
Daniel Mato, Universidad Central de Venezuela
Kyeyoung Park, University of California at Los Angeles
Richard Price, College of William and Mary
Sally Price, College of William and Mary
Vicki L. Ruiz, Arizona State University
John F. Stack, Jr., Florida International University
Mia Tuan, University of Oregon
Peter Wade, University of Manchester
More Than Black: Afro-Cubans in Tampa, by Susan D. Greenbaum (2002)
Carnival and the Formation of a Caribbean Transnation, by Philip W. Scher (2003)
Dominican Migration: Transnational Perspectives, edited by Ernesto Sagás and Sintia Molina (2004)
Salvadoran Migration to Southern California: Redefining El Hermano Lejano, by Beth Baker-Cristales
(2004)
The Chrysanthemum and the Song: Music, Memory, and Identity in the South American Japanese
Diaspora, by Dale A. Olsen (2004)
Andean Diaspora: The Tiwanaku Colonies and the Origins of South American Empire, by Paul S.
Goldstein (2005)
Migration and Vodou, by Karen E. Richman (2005)
True-Born Maroons, by Kenneth Bilby (2006)
The Tears of Hispaniola: Haitian and Dominican Diaspora Memory, by Lucía M. Suárez (2006)
Dominican-Americans and the Politics of Empowerment, by Ana Aparicio (2006)
Nuer-American Passages: Global Migration in the Twentieth Century, by Dianna J. Shandy (2006)
Religion and the Politics of Ethnic Identity in Bahia, Brazil, by Stephen Selka (2007)
Religion and the Politics
of Ethnic Identity
in Bahia, Brazil
Stephen Selka
University Press of Florida
Gainesville
Tallahassee
Tampa
Boca Raton
Pensacola
Orlando
Miami
Jacksonville
Ft. Myers
Sarasota
0
Copyright 2007 by Stephen Selka
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Selka, Stephen.
Religion and the politics of ethnic identity in Bahia, Brazil / Stephen Selka.
p. cm. — (New World diasporas)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-0-8130-3171-2 (alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-8130-3992-3 (e-book)
1. Brazil—Religion. 2. Salvador (Brazil)—Religion. 3. Religion and politics—Brazil—Salvador.
4. Ethnicity—Brazil—Salvador. 5. Ethnicity—Religious aspects I. Title.
BL2590.B7S45 2007
305.800981'42--dc22
2007027405
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University
System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida
Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, New College
of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida,
University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
www.upf.com
All photographs are by the author unless otherwise noted.
Those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics
do not know what religion means.
Mahatma Gandhi

Contents
List of Figures viii
Acknowledgments ix
1. Introduction 1
2. Religion and Race in Brazil 9
3. Catholicism and Afro-Brazilian Identity 48
4. Candomblé, Afro-Brazilian Culture, and Anti-Racism 73
5. Alternative Identities, Emergent Politics 97
6. The Politics of Afro-Brazilian Identity 120
Notes 153
References 157
Index 170
Figures
1. A view of Cachoeira 10
2. Cachoeiran women participating in a Candomblé ceremony 38
3. A Candomblé initiate making a public debut 39
4. The church of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Blacks in Salvador 52
5. Escrava Anastácia at the church of Our Lady of the Rosary of the
Blacks 53
6. Statues of the orixás in Salvador 75
7. A banner featuring images of Africa in Salvador during Carnaval 2002 86
8. The Catedral da Fé of the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus
in Salvador 101
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank a number of people without whom this book would not
have been possible. First and foremost, I thank my parents, whose dedication
to scholarship and learning inspired my decision to become an anthropologist.
Your moral and material support over these years will always be remembered. I
could not have completed this book without the help of my wife, Kristen, who
has been by my side ever since this project was just a vague idea in my head.
She provided encouragement when I needed it, consolation when things were
not going my way, and an occasional swift kick in the ass to get me going again
when I faltered.
Early on in college and graduate school, Jake Early and Susan Brown en-
couraged my interest in the study of syncretism and religious complexity. Later,
Jim Collins helped me refine the theoretical perspective from which this book is
written; Liliana Goldín coached me as I wrote the grant proposals that funded
my fieldwork; and Louise Burkhart provided candid feedback and close editing
of the text (and corrected me on the finer points of Catholic doctrine that had
apparently escaped me in catechism). In addition, I benefited greatly from John
Burdick’s encouragement and support over the years.
My initial visits to Brazil would not have been possible without financial sup-
port from the Department of Anthropology, Graduate Student Organization,
and Benevolent Foundation at the University at Albany. In addition, I am very
grateful to have been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to
fund my extended fieldwork. In Brazil, my contacts at the Universidade Federal
da Bahia (UFBA), especially Mark Cravalho and Miriam Rabelo, helped me get
established in Brazil and have never hesitated to provide assistance whenever
I needed it. Thanks are also due to Jeferson Bacelar and Livio Sansone at the
Centro dos Estudos Afro-Oreintais (CEAO) in Salvador.
In Chicago, where I began working on my manuscript, I benefited from the
encouragement and advice of a number of people, including Willie Hart of the