Product Description

In this wide-ranging book Paul Christopher Johnson explores the changing, hidden face of the Afro-Brazilian indigenous religion of Candomble. Despite its importance in Brazilian society, Candomble has received far less attention than its sister religions Vodou and Santeria. Johnson seeks to fill this void by offering a comprehensive look at the development, beliefs, and practices of Candomble and exploring its transformation from a secret society of slaves--hidden, persecuted, and marginalized--to a public religion that is very much a part of Brazilian culture. Johnson traces this historical shift and locates the turning point in the creation of Brazilian national identity and a public sphere in the first half of the twentieth century. His major focus is on the ritual practice of secrecy in Candomble. Like Vodou and Santeria and the African Yoruba religion from which they are descended, Candomble features a hierarchic series of initiations, with increasing access to secret knowledge at each level. As Johnson shows, the nature and uses of secrecy evolved with the religion. First, secrecy was essential to a society that had to remain hidden from authorities. Later, when Candomble became known and actively persecuted, its secrecy became a form of resistance as well as an exotic hidden power desired by elites. Finally, as Candomble became a public religion and a vital part of Brazilian culture, the debate increasingly turned away from the secrets themselves and toward their possessors. It is speech about secrets, and not the content of those secrets, that is now most important in building status, legitimacy and power in Candomble. Offering many first hand accounts of the rites and rituals of contemporary Candomble, this book provides insight into this influential but little-studied group, while at the same time making a valuable contribution to our understanding of the relationship between religion and society.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #802309 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review
"A reader interested in learning about Candomble would be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive yet deftly written introduction to the religion and to the intellectual debates that surround it.... Secrets, Gossip and Gods is an ambitious, rich book that succeeds on many levels; it is a good read, to boot. There is little doubt that it will become a point of reference in the field."--History of Religions

"Highly recommended"--American Journal of Sociology

"In this elegantly written and theoretically sophisticated book, Paul Johnson has made an important contribution to the scholarly discussion not only of Candomble, but of the relationship between religion and Brazilian society-and, indeed, between religion and society in general." --John Burdick, Author of Blessed Anastacia: Women, Race, and Popular Christianity in Brazil

"Johnson has achieved a masterful synthesis of fieldwork and theory, replacing the misleading notion of syncretism and its reified dualisms with the historically nuanced concept of 'secretism.' His book represents a breakthrough in studies of Brazilian Candomble because it relates local worlds and ritual networks to the rise of nationalism and the bourgeois public sphere." --Andrew Apter, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Chicago

About the Author

Paul Christopher Johnson is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He has published many articles on Brazil, the Caribbean, and American popular culture, exploring the relation of religion to social identity, memory, and practice.

Customer Reviews

A wonderful addition to any library!!!
One of the best books that I could find in English on Candomble.

The book is an amazing piece of scholastic work conducted by a once relectant initiate of Nago-Ketu Nation and surveys the history, practices, theology, ritualism and cosmology of Candomble and the role of the Terreiro in historical and contemporary Brazilian society.

There are many things that I had issues with.....the title of the book being one of them.....but by far, it is the most substantial piece of work that has been published in English targeted in a non-sensationalist way for the non-brazilian public.

This thought provoking piece of work has led me to look internally and externally for answers to questions raised in this forum, and has also allowed me to formulate my own questions......

In any case, the book is worth adding to any library and especially of value to those individuals interested in African Based Diasporic religion/spirituality in Brazil.

Good but dense
This book represents a significant and thought provoking review of the history and social context of Candomble. I recommend it highly to any one who is already rather versed in the subject. It is not, however, written in language that is widely accessible to the average reader. Any college professors out there should think twice or thrice before assigning it to undergraduates, unless you wish to assign a dictionary as well! It is too densely written for the average person, something I consider a real crime in a book that is otherwise very good.

Excellent work
This is a fine piece of scholarship, but it is just that: a scholarly work. This is written for academics and very serious students of African diasporic religious traditions.