Emotions and religion across the Atlantic: senses and lusophone orixás
Etnografica January 1, 2021 Clara Saraiva 3 citations
Afro-Brazilian religions have expanded into Portugal over the past 30 years, attracting Portuguese practitioners partly because these religions permit free emotional expression through possession and incorporation of entities, and because they proclaim openness to different races, sexual preferences, and other beliefs. However, initiation and ritual sequences are strongly hierarchical, with norms that must be obeyed to advance. Individuals manage these contradictory emotions to negotiate their identities both within and outside the religious group. The analysis connects emotional behavior, performance, and authenticity, drawing on case studies of Afro-Brazilian religions in Portugal and theoretical work on performativity and authenticity.