Male homosexuality and spirit possession in Brazil.
Journal of homosexuality January 1, 1985 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1300/j082v11n03_09 via PubMed
Summary
In Afro-Brazilian possession cults in Belém do Pará, male sex roles are divided into two categories: bicha and man. There is no local term equivalent to the Western category of 'homosexual.' The paper analyzes folk explanations for the presence of many bichas in the cults and examines the social rewards available to them within these religious groups. The structural relationship between homosexuality and the cults is explained by their congruent marginality relative to 'normal society.'
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The Afro-Brazilian possession cults in Belém do Pará offer social rewards to bichas, and the marginality of both homosexuality and the cults creates a congruent structural relationship. |
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between male homosexuality and the Afro-Brazilian possession cults in Belém do Parà. After a discussion of the literature follows a description of the cults' beliefs, rites and social organization. Male sex roles are then discussed and the two categories, bicha and man, analyzed. It is noted that there is no term which is equivalent to the western category of "homosexual" in this taxonomic system. After putting forward folk explanations for the presence of many bichas in the cults, an analysis is put forward of the social rewards available to bichas within these cults, and the structural relationship between homosexuality and these regions in terms of their congruent marginality vis-à-vis "normal society."