Spirit possession and cultural innovation: the case of two Japanese female religious leaders
Revista de Antropologia July 3, 2020 Ordep J. Trindade-Serra Trindade-Serra
Jorge Amado, a celebrated Brazilian writer, popularized the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé through his novels, shaping widespread perceptions of the faith as practiced in Bahia. Although Amado presents himself as an atheist, he champions the syncretism between Catholic and Afro-Brazilian rites. His literary interpretation of Candomblé's symbolic system is not ethnographic but merits anthropological study. This paper examines Amado's treatment of Catholic and Afro-Brazilian syncretism in his novels *Tenda dos milagres* and *O sumiço da santa*.