Dissertation Research: Religion and the Politics of Ethnic Identity in Bahia, Brazil

Suny At Albany, Albany NY

Investigators

Abstract

0109146 Goldin / Selka Brazilians of African descent can choose among several religious alternatives to express their faith. These alternatives range from traditional Catholicism to local variants of a global proselytizing religion such as Pentecostalism, and include many African-derived religions such as Candomble. This project involves the dissertation research of a cultural anthropology student from the University at Albany, SUNY, studying the relation between religious affiliation and ethnic identity in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The research will focus on two sites, the rural town of Cachoeira and the nearby capital city of Salvador, to analyze how Brazilians of African descent construct their ethnic and religious identities. Using a discourse-centered ethnographic approach as well as local surveys, the student will focus on twelve religious organizations: two Pentecostal churches, Catholic devotional associations, and Candomble centers in each place. Three hundred questionnaires will be administered to the twelve organizations and an additional 100 will be divided between local communities in the two locations. The data collected will be used to assess general demographic information, the ways in which people view and express their identities as Brazilians of African descent, and their personal opinions about cultural and racial issues of concern to the Afro-Brazilian community. The project will show how cultural tourism in Bahia, transnational movements for racial equality (of which Brazil's Movimento Negro is one expression), and international religious movements like Pentecostalism affect Brazilian's ethnic self-identity and perceptions of issues such as racism. The results should advance our understanding of Brazilian religious culture and the interaction of race, ethnicity and religious identity, as well as contribute to the training of a young social scientist and advance our knowledge of this important region of the world.