The gesture and the body in the Afro-Brazilian religion

Journal/Book: Soc Compass. 1995; 42: 6 Bonhill Street, Attn: Bernie Folan, London, England EC2A 4PU. Sage Publications Ltd. 477-486.

Abstract: Afro-Brazilian religion in its traditional forms (candomble and xango) is typically a religion of the body and of the gesture. The first act of its ritual is animal sacrifice, which feeds both the gods and the faithful. It is a religion in which thought is expressed through the motions of dance and trance, far removed from the cerebral religions typical of the western world during the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation and the rise of capitalism with its austerity and privation. Anchored firmly in the tangible world, candomble'-xango recognizes no separation between body and soul, nor between health and holiness. Its fundamental hedonism finds a natural place in a postmodern society which is once more valuing the body, gesture, emotion and passion.

Note: Article R Motta, Univ Fed Pernambuco, Inst Etudes Sociales La Haye Pays BAS, Dept Anthropol, Rua Santo Elias 109, BR-52020 Recife, PE, Brazil

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