Nagô Grandma and White Papa
Candomblé and the Creation of Afro-Brazilian Identity
By Beatriz Góis Dantas
Translated by Stephen Berg
208 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 2 figs., 4 tables, notes, bibl., index
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Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8078-5975-9
Published: September 2009 -
E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-0-8078-9848-2
Published: September 2009 -
E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-8089-5
Published: September 2009
Latin America in Translation
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Dantas compares the formation of Yoruba (Nagô) religious traditions and ethnic identities in the Brazilian states of Sergipe and Bahia, revealing how they diverged from each other due to their different social and political contexts and needs. By tracking how markers of supposedly "pure" ethnic identity and religious practice differed radically from one place to another, Dantas shows the social construction of identity within a network of class-related demands and alliances. She demonstrates how the shape and meaning of "purity" have been affected by prolonged and complex social and cultural mixing, compromise, and struggle over time. Ethnic identity, as well as social identity in general, is formed in the crucible of political relations between social groups that purposefully mobilize and manipulate cultural markers to define their respective boundaries--a process, Dantas argues, that must be applied to understanding the experience of African-descended people in Brazil.
About the Author
Beatriz Góis Dantas is professor emerita of anthropology at Universidade Federal de Sergipe in Brazil. She is author or coauthor of three other books.
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Reviews
"Remarkably relevant. . . . This intricate study is intended for those who already have an understanding of the perils of affixing labels on Brazilian identity."--Choice
"A recognized classic in the literature on African Brazilian religions, Nagô Grandma and White Papa is an important case study of social identity formation as a relational process involving the 'political' mobilization of cultural markers to define group differences. Dantas's book remains surprisingly relevant to current theoretical debates on these questions as well as to the area of African diaspora studies."--Robert Slenes, Universidad Estadual de Campinas, Brazil
"Dantas brings together the practices of everyday believers, religious authorities, intellectuals, and elites to explore what Africa means in Brazil and how that meaning has changed over time. The depth, care, and sophistication of her research and analysis have made this book a model for a generation of scholarship in Brazil. Translation into English brings this imaginative work the broad audience it fully deserves."--Mark Healey, University of California, Berkeley