African and Amerindian Spirits: A Note on the Influence of Nineteenth-Century Spiritism and Spiritualism on Afro and African-American Religions
- Author(s)
- Hans Gerald Hödl
- Abstract
This chapter analyses the role that European spiritism plays in the religious history of Brazil, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, and compares it to the influence of American spiritualism on the religious landscape of New Orleans. The picture is very similar in Brazil and Cuba, with spiritist groups and churches on the one hand and spiritist elements in African-derived religions on the other. The former covering a range from “white” organisations—who, as a rule, see themselves as “philosophies” rather than “religions”—to “white-washed” African-derived religions (like Brazilian Umbanda). As to Puerto Rico, purely African derived religions are rather imported than autochthonous. In all those places, the religions in question focus strongly on healing. Black spiritual churches in New Orleans are—as a rule—a later development, and their origins as well as the degree of “African” elements they include are still discussed among scholars.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Religious Studies
- Pages
- 319–344
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55318-0_15
- Publication date
- 2021
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 603909 Religious studies
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/african-and-amerindian-spirits-a-note-on-the-influence-of-nineteenthcentury-spiritism-and-spiritualism-on-afro-and-africanamerican-religions(102bb4c4-57c1-48c1-a810-09c353101750).html