| This dissertation is concerned with performance and the relationship of ethos, identity, and the sacred in the Umbanda religion, as I observed and participated in it in Rio de Janeiro. In Umbanda, some participants manifest what are said to be the spirits of old slaves, Indians, assorted ne'er do wells and rascals and other characters drawn from Brazilian folklore and popular history. Other participants seek out these spirits for advice and supernatural assistance in dealing with all kinds of problems, including illness, emotional crises, marital and romantic difficulties, financial and career frustrations--in short, for all the practical problems of earthly existence. It is my contention that through Umbanda, participants not only deal with the mundane problems of life; through Umbanda, Umbandistas engage the deep existential questions of what it means to be, and to be Brazilian.;My research looks for this engagement mainly through performances, that is, through symbolic displays, directed towards audiences, that fall into such categories as narrative, music, drama, myth, and dance. I imbed these performances in the lives and purposes of those who participate in them, and I trace their signs and meanings through the broader currents of Brazilian culture.;This dissertation is based on ethnographic research carried out in Rio de Janeiro during 1986, 1990-91, 1992, and 1993, and library research conducted from 1986 to the present in Rio de Janeiro and Austin, Texas. Funding for the 1990-91 research was provided by a Fulbright-Hays Dissertation Research Grant. |
