Nago Grandma and White Papa: Candomble and the Creation of Afro-Brazilian Identity (Latin America in Translation En Traduccion Em Traducao)

Nagô Grandma and White Papa is a signal work in Brazilian anthropology and African diaspora studies originally published in Brazil in 1988. This edition makes Beatriz Góis Dantas's historioethnographic study available to an English-speaking audience for the first time. Dantas compares the formation of Yoruba (Nagô) religious traditions and ethnic identities in the Brazilian states of Sergipe and Bahia, revealing how they diverged from each other due to their different social and political contexts and needs. By tracking how markers of supposedly "pure" ethnic identity and religious practice differed radically from one place to another, Dantas shows the social construction of identity within a network of class-related demands and alliances. She demonstrates how the shape and meaning of "purity" have been affected by prolonged and complex social and cultural mixing, compromise, and struggle over time. Ethnic identity, as well as social identity in general, is formed in the crucible of political relations between social groups that purposefully mobilize and manipulate cultural markers to define their respective boundaries—a process, Dantas argues, that must be applied to understanding the experience of African-descended people in Brazil.

Nago Grandma and White Papa is a signal work in Brazilian anthropology and African diaspora studies originally published in Brazil in 1988. This edition makes Beatriz Gois Dantas's historioethnographic study available to an English-speaking audience for the first time.

Dantas compares the formation of Yoruba (Nago) religious traditions and ethnic identities in the Brazilian states of Sergipe and Bahia, revealing how they diverged from each other due to their different social and political contexts and needs. By tracking how markers of supposedly "pure" ethnic identity and religious practice differed radically from one place to another, Dantas shows the social construction of identity within a network of class-related demands and alliances. She demonstrates how the shape and meaning of "purity" have been affected by prolonged and complex social and cultural mixing, compromise, and struggle over time. Ethnic identity, as well as social identity in general, is formed in the crucible of political relations between social groups that purposefully mobilize and manipulate cultural markers to define their respective boundaries—a process, Dantas argues, that must be applied to understanding the experience of African-descended people in Brazil.

Nago Grandma and White Papa is a signal work in Brazilian anthropology and African diaspora studies originally published in Brazil in 1988. This edition makes Beatriz Gois Dantas's historioethnographic study available to an English-speaking audience for the first time. Dantas compares the formation of Yoruba (Nago) religious traditions and ethnic identities in the Brazilian states of Sergipe and Bahia, revealing how they diverged from each other due to their different social and political contexts and needs. By tracking how markers of supposedly "pure" ethnic identity and religious practice differed radically from one place to another, Dantas shows the social construction of identity within a network of class-related demands and alliances. She demonstrates how the shape and meaning of "purity" have been affected by prolonged and complex social and cultural mixing, compromise, and struggle over time. Ethnic identity, as well as social identity in general, is formed in the crucible of political relations between social groups that purposefully mobilize and manipulate cultural markers to define their respective boundaries -- a process, Dantas argues, that must be applied to understanding the experience of African-descended people in Brazil In this signal work in Brazilian anthropology and African diaspora studies, Dantas compares the formation of religious traditions and ethnic identities in the Brazilian states of Sergipe and Bahia, revealing how they diverged from each other due to their different social and political contexts and needs. This volume makes the book, originally published in Brazil, available in English for the first time Introduction -- The Configuration Of Prestige In The Xangô Terreiros -- Nagô Speaks Of Itself -- Nagô Speaks Of The Others -- The Construction And Meaning Of Nagô Purity -- Uses Of Africa By The Nagô Terreiro. Beatriz Góis Dantas ; Translated By Stephen Berg. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Introduction The configuration of prestige in the Terreiros of Xang? Nagô speaks of itself speaks of "the others" The construction and meaning of "Nagô purity" Uses of Africa by the Nagô Terreiro Conclusion. Nagô Grandma and White Papa: Candomblé and the Creation of Afro-Brazilian Identity