Samba in the Night: Spiritism in Brazil

Name: Samba in the Night: Spiritism in Brazil
Price: 95.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Hess, David J
ISBN: 9780231084321

✍️ Hess, David J

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Journey deep into Brazil's vibrant spiritual landscape, where the veil between worlds thins and healing transcends the mundane.

Step into the heart of Brazilian Spiritism with this captivating anthropological study. David J. Hess offers an immersive look at the syncretic spiritual practices thriving across the nation, from bustling urban centers to remote communities. Through vivid fieldwork, he unveils intricate belief systems surrounding spirit communication, dramatic healing rituals like psychic surgery, and encounters with powerful entities. This book provides a nuanced, scholarly yet accessible exploration of how these alternative spiritual paths profoundly shape individual lives and cultural identity in Brazil, revealing a rich tapestry of faith and experience often misunderstood.

Key themes

{'title': 'Spirit Communication & Mediumship', 'body': "The book meticulously documents the diverse forms of mediumship found in Brazilian Spiritism, exploring how individuals serve as conduits for spiritual entities. It examines the profound societal role these mediums play, from offering guidance to facilitating healing, and how their experiences are interpreted within the community's belief framework."} {'title': 'Healing Beyond Medicine', 'body': 'Hess investigates the extraordinary practices of spiritual healing, including the controversial yet widely accepted phenomenon of psychic surgery. The text delves into the cultural context and efficacy of these unconventional methods, examining how they provide comfort and perceived cures where conventional medicine may fall short for many believers.'} {'title': 'Anthropology of Belief', 'body': 'As an anthropologist, Hess offers a scholarly yet empathetic lens on the complex belief systems at play. The book explores how Spiritism integrates into daily Brazilian life, examining its social functions, the syncretic nature of its practices, and how practitioners navigate their faith within a broader, often skeptical, modern world.'}

🏛 Columbia University Press 📅 1994 📖 214 pages 📔 Hardcover 📐 Hardcover ISBN: 9780231084321

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Fun fact

Hess delivers an exceptionally insightful and balanced ethnographic study of Brazilian Spiritism. It excels at demystifying complex spiritual practices through a scholarly yet engaging lens, offering rich cultural understanding. Readers seeking sensational anecdotes or scientific validation will be disappointed. For those desiring a rigorous, empathetic exploration of faith, healing, and cultural syncretism, Samba in the Night is a vital contribution to the anthropology of religion.

📝 Description: Samba in the Night: Spiritism in Brazil

An absorbing account of an anthropologist's fieldwork and explorations into alternative religions in Brazil, Samba in the Night invites the reader into the mysterious world of spirit mediums, poltergeists, psychic surgery, exorcism and spiritual healing.

⭐ Reader reviews

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⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.4/5

★★★★★

If you're fascinated by the intersection of culture and spirituality, curious about global spiritual practices, or drawn to ethnographic exploration into the unknown, this book offers a compelling journey. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the rich, complex spiritual tapestry of Brazil.

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❓ Frequently asked questions

While written by an anthropologist, Hess makes the complex world of Brazilian Spiritism accessible. It balances scholarly rigor with engaging narrative, making it suitable for both academic study and general interest in spiritual phenomena.

The author approaches the subject from an ethnographic perspective, documenting beliefs and practices without validating or refuting spiritual claims. The focus is on understanding the cultural significance and lived experience of Spiritism.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Spirit Communication & Mediumship

The book meticulously documents the diverse forms of mediumship found in Brazilian Spiritism, exploring how individuals serve as conduits for spiritual entities. It examines the profound societal role these mediums play, from offering guidance to facilitating healing, and how their experiences are interpreted within the community's belief framework.

Healing Beyond Medicine

Hess investigates the extraordinary practices of spiritual healing, including the controversial yet widely accepted phenomenon of psychic surgery. The text delves into the cultural context and efficacy of these unconventional methods, examining how they provide comfort and perceived cures where conventional medicine may fall short for many believers.

Anthropology of Belief

As an anthropologist, Hess offers a scholarly yet empathetic lens on the complex belief systems at play. The book explores how Spiritism integrates into daily Brazilian life, examining its social functions, the syncretic nature of its practices, and how practitioners navigate their faith within a broader, often skeptical, modern world.

💬 Quotes from the book

«The air in the healing center crackled with an unseen energy, as the medium, eyes glazed, began to articulate messages from entities claiming to offer solace and cures to the gathered faithful.»

«My fieldwork revealed that for many, the efficacy of psychic surgery was not a matter of scientific proof, but of profound personal experience and community affirmation, a testament to faith's power.»

📜 Historical context

Brazilian Spiritism blends European doctrines (Kardec) with indigenous and Afro-Brazilian religions, forming a vibrant syncretic tradition. This study contributes to anthropological works documenting religious evolution in the Americas, illuminating how diverse cultural encounters forge new spiritual paths, often centered on healing and community connection.

📚 Glossary

Spiritism
Medium
Psychic Surgery

📔 Questions to reflect on

How might understanding diverse spiritual healing practices, like psychic surgery, challenge or expand your own perceptions of health, belief, and medicine?
Consider the role of a "medium" in a community. How do figures who bridge the mundane and spiritual realms influence societal norms or individual coping mechanisms?
If you were to conduct ethnographic research on a spiritual practice, what ethical considerations would be most crucial, and how would you balance observation with respect for belief?