Carrying the Word

Susanna Rostas

ISBN 10: 1607321386 / ISBN 13: 9781607321385

Published by University Press of Colorado, US, 2012

About this Item

In Carrying the Word: The Concheros Dance in Mexico City, the first full length study of the Concheros dancers, Susanna Rostas explores the experience of this unique group, whose use of dance links rural religious practices with urban post-modern innovation in distinctive ways even within Mexican culture, which is rife with ritual dances.The Concheros blend Catholic and indigenous traditions in their performances, but are not governed by a predetermined set of beliefs; rather they are bound together by long standing interpersonal connections framed by the discipline of their tradition. The Concheros manifest their spirituality by means of the dance. Rostas traces how they construct their identity and beliefs, both individual and communal, by its means. The book offers new insights into the experience of dancing as a Conchero while also exploring their history, organization and practices.Carrying the Word provides a new way for audiences to understand the Conchero's dance tradition, and will be of interest to students and scholars of contemporary Mesoamerica. Those studying identity, religion, and tradition will find this social-anthropological work particularly enlightening.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781607321385

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Carrying the Word
• Publisher: University Press of Colorado, US
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1607321386
• ISBN 13: 9781607321385
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 511 grams

About this title

Synopsis

In Carrying the Word: The Concheros Dance in Mexico City, the first full length study of the Concheros dancers, Susanna Rostas explores the experience of this unique group, whose use of dance links rural religious practices with urban post-modern innovation in distinctive ways even within Mexican culture, which is rife with ritual dances.

The Concheros blend Catholic and indigenous traditions in their performances, but are not governed by a predetermined set of beliefs; rather they are bound together by long standing interpersonal connections framed by the discipline of their tradition. The Concheros manifest their spirituality by means of the dance. Rostas traces how they construct their identity and beliefs, both individual and communal, by its means. The book offers new insights into the experience of dancing as a Conchero while also exploring their history, organization and practices.

Carrying the Word provides a new way for audiences to understand the Conchero's dance tradition, and will be of interest to students and scholars of contemporary Mesoamerica. Those studying identity, religion, and tradition will find this social-anthropological work particularly enlightening.

About the Author

Susanna Rostas is a senior research associate in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. Her research, carried out predominantly in Mexico, has focused on performance, invented ethnicity, identity, religion and religious conversion. She has published widely on the Concheros and is co-author with Andre Droogers of The Popular Use of Popular Religion in Latin America (CEDLA 1993).