A Refuge in Thunder (Paperback)

Rachel E. Harding

ISBN 10: 0253216109 / ISBN 13: 9780253216106

Published by Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN, 2003

About this Item

Paperback. The Afro-Brazilian religion Candomble has long been recognized as an extraordinary resource of African tradition, values and identity among its adherents in Bahia, Brazil. Outlawed and persecuted in the late colonial and imperial period, Candomble nevertheless developed as one of the major religious expressions of the Afro-Atlantic diaspora. Drawing princially on police archives, Harding describes the development of the religion as an "alternative" space in which subjugated and enslaved blacks were able to cultivate a sense of individual and collective identity that stood in opposition to the subaltern status imposed upon them from the dominant society. Harding works creatively against the biases of the primary records, culling out evidence of a religious and cultural orientation which emphasized healing, the reconstitution of family identity, refuge and release from slavery, and the ritual address of colonial and imperial power imbalances (especially master-slave tensions).Placing Candomble within the larger context of Afro-Brazilian "alternative" spaces, Harding further examines the relationship between the religion and a variety of other black religio-cultural forms in 19th century Bahia: lay Catholic confraternities, work-groups, drum-and-dance gatherings, fugitive slave communities, families, aesthetic values and rhythmic orientations. The Afro-Brazilian religion Candomble has long been recognised as a resource of African tradition, values, and identity among its adherents in Bahia, Brazil. This book describes development of religion as an "alternative" space in which subjugated and enslaved blacks were able to cultivate a sense of individual. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780253216106

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Refuge in Thunder (Paperback)
• Publisher: Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0253216109
• ISBN 13: 9780253216106
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 2nd Edition
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

"[An important] detailing of the development and evolution of a major institution of the African Diaspora [and] of Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian identity." ―Sheila S. Walker

The Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé has long been recognized as an extraordinary resource of African tradition, values, and identity among its adherents in Bahia, Brazil. Outlawed and persecuted in the late colonial and imperial period, Candomblé nevertheless developed as one of the major religious expressions of the Afro-Atlantic diaspora. Drawing principally on primary sources, such as police archives, Rachel E. Harding describes the development of the religion as an "alternative" space in which subjugated and enslaved blacks could gain a sense of individual and collective identity in opposition to the subaltern status imposed upon them by the dominant society.

About the Author

Rachel E. Harding is Director of The Veterans of Hope Project at the Iliff School of Theology. She earned a Ph.D. in Latin American history from the University of Colorado in 1997. Her essay "'What Part of the River You're In': African-American Women in Devotion to Osun" appears in Osun across the Waters: A Yoruba Goddess in Africa and the Americas (Indiana University Press, 2001). Harding is also a poet and has published work in Callaloo, Chelsea, Feminist Studies, The International Review of African American Art, Hambone, and several anthologies.