Holy Harlots: Femininity, Sexuality, and Black Magic in Brazil
Kelly Hayes
Abstract
This book examines the intersections of social marginality, morality, and magic in contemporary Brazil by analyzing the beliefs and religious practices related to the Afro-Brazilian spirit entity Pomba Gira. Said to be the disembodied spirit of an unruly harlot, Pomba Gira is a controversial figure in Brazil. Devotees maintain that Pomba Gira possesses an intimate knowledge of human affairs and the mystical power to intervene in the human world. Others view this entity more ambivalently. This book provides an account of the intricate relationship between Pomba Gira and one of her devotees, Naz ... More
This book examines the intersections of social marginality, morality, and magic in contemporary Brazil by analyzing the beliefs and religious practices related to the Afro-Brazilian spirit entity Pomba Gira. Said to be the disembodied spirit of an unruly harlot, Pomba Gira is a controversial figure in Brazil. Devotees maintain that Pomba Gira possesses an intimate knowledge of human affairs and the mystical power to intervene in the human world. Others view this entity more ambivalently. This book provides an account of the intricate relationship between Pomba Gira and one of her devotees, Nazaré da Silva. Combining Nazaré's spiritual biography with analysis of the gender politics and violence that shapes life on the periphery of Rio de Janeiro, it highlights Pomba Gira's role in the rivalries, relationships, and struggles of everyday life in urban Brazil.
Keywords:
social marginality,
morality,
magic,
Brazil,
religious practices,
Pomba Gira,
disembodied spirit,
gender politics,
violence,
Rio de Janeiro
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2011 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780520262645 |
| Published to California Scholarship Online: May 2012 |
DOI:10.1525/california/9780520262645.001.0001 |
