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This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Circles of Care: Healing Practices in a Bahian Candomblé Community Hannah Lesshafft PhD in Social Anthropology University of Edinburgh 2016 For Mark I declare that this thesis has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree. Except where stated otherwise by reference or acknowledgment, the work presented is entirely my own. Hannah Lesshafft Edinburgh, 28th December 2016 i ii Abstract This thesis explores the dynamics of healing and care in a terreiro (house of worship) of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé. My research is based on one year of ethnographic fieldwork with a Candomblé community in South Bahia, Brazil, during which I took part in the rituals, ceremonies, and everyday activities of the terreiro, and eventually became a ‘daughter of the house’. While the terreiro is at the heart of this study, I also draw upon observations and experience from the local neighbourhood, the nearest city Ilhéus, the state capital Salvador, and the city of Rio de Janeiro, where I started my journey, to complement and contextualize what I encountered inside the terreiro. I argue that cuidado, or care, is key to the cultivation of Candomblé’s vital force axé, and hence to achieving well-being and power in a socially exclusive society that is often perceived as profoundly uncaring. My thesis demonstrates that the circulation of axé and cuidado between humans and gods (orixás) is an essential part of Candomblé healing, understood as a process of reflexive self-transformation. Far from being altruistic or self-denying, then, cuidado effectively becomes a form of self-care. Subverting dichotomous logic, Candomblé cuidado is used to create and negotiate (healing) power through its capacity to simultaneously connect and divide. This thesis explores how boundaries are both transgressed and reinforced by way of cuidado in terms of transformative healing; kinship relations with the orixás; the exchange of human faith (fé) for divine axé; and performances on ‘divine stages’ and ‘profane stages’. Finally, cuidado is also used as a moral-political argument for the recognition of Candomblé in public health campaigns, in the context of an often-dysfunctional public health system. The analysis of dynamics of cuidado and boundary work in a terreiro, under consideration of the broader national context, makes this thesis an original contribution to the literature on Afro-Brazilian religion and healing. My ethnography also adds to the growing literature on the anthropology of care, especially in medical anthropology, and it pushes forward the discussion by explicitly reflecting on the circulation and negotiation of power through care. iii iv Acknowledgments Many have been involved with this thesis, and without their help I could not have finished (or even started) writing. First of all, my supervisors: Maya Mayblin, for whose encouraging discussions, constructive feedback, kind words, and academic advice over the years I am very grateful; Ian Harper, whom I thank for supervision before and during my fieldwork, and for his continuous support later; and Alexander Edmonds, for his professional guidance and the helpful comments on my chapters during the writing-up stage. I also want to thank Mattijs Van de Port and Stefan Ecks for examining my thesis. In Edinburgh, many people have supported me while I was working on this thesis. Special thanks go to Koreen Reece for proofreading the entire thesis with great patience and attention, and for all her thoughtful feedback. My friends Eva Hoffmann, Leila Sinclair-Bright, Jenny Lawy, and Grit Wesser, thank you for always being there for me. Uta Zimmermann, thank you for all the cakes and walks on the beach. Bridget Bradley and Manuel Campinas, thanks for your friendship and good luck for the exciting next year! My PhD cohort was a great bunch of people, and I would like to thank all of you for your comments on my thesis chapters during the writing up sessions and for being part of this journey; especially Ting Ting Shum, Veronique Gilbert, Resto Cruz, Liz Ravalde, and Laura Winterton. I also thank PhD students from other years, Sandalia Genus, Katka Ockova, Grit Wesser, Leila Sinclair-Bright, Heid Jerstadt, Catherine Whittaker, Diego Maria Malara, and Andreas Hackl for their helpful feedback. I thank all staff members of the Anthropology Department for the encouragement, conversations, and support over the last years; and especially the members of the Edinburgh Centre for Medical Anthropology for inspiring discussions and events. For leading the Advanced Issues and Writing Up sessions I thank Richard Baxstrom, Jacob Copeman, Janet Carsten, and Magnus Course. All your comments were very valuable and have shaped my thesis. I also thank Lucy Lowe for her support, and Jacob Copeman and Delwar Hussein for inspiring conversations. In the SoMA (Students of Medical Anthropology) group, I specially thank Bridget Bradley, Sandalia Genus and Lilian Kennedy for their great work and collaborative spirit. v I thank the University of Edinburgh for funding my research with a Principal’s Career Development Scholarship, and particularly Richard Freeman for the encouraging discussions, enthusiastic work, and general kindness. Thanks also to the Society of Latin America Studies in Manchester for the travel grant to Brazil. In Brazil, many people took care of me during my fieldwork, and I owe them a lot. First of all, these are the wonderful people who welcomed me to their terreiro and on whom my study is based. Mãe Darabí, who cared for me and taught me like a mother does. Many thanks for your kindness, your help, your trust and for being brilliant. I learned more from you than I can tell. Thank you, Pai ogã and Mãe ekedi, I have the greatest respect for you. Thank you to all the members of the terreiro for teaching me, taking care of me, and treating me as a sister. I would like to write out your names here, but the conventions don’t allow it. My deepest thanks to all of you. Obrigada. Okolofé. In Bahia, I also want to thank my friends, Doerthe Worthmann with whom I spent great times in Salvador and on our trips; Nima Ranughathan, my dear housemate in Ilhéus; and my PhD colleague Laurinha Porter in Itacaré: thank you all for your friendship and discussions, and for the pleasant distractions from work. At the UESC (State University Santa Cruz), I thank the Kàwé study group for including me in their discussions, activities and projects: José Luiz de França, Marialda Jovita Silveira, Ruy do Carmo Póvoas, Valéria Amim, Jeanes Larchert, and Elis Cristina Fiamengue. And André Hora, thank you very much for letting me include your beautiful art. I also thank Margret Jäger for establishing the initial contact with the Odé Terreiro. In Germany, I thank my friends of always and ever: Anna Richardt, Elena Groening with my goddaughter Tuuli, Angela Schuster, Liana Ariza, and Leena Petersen. I cannot see you as often as I wish, but you are at the base of it all. As is my family: my brother Lutz, my nephew Cosimo, and my wonderful parents Esther and Karlo. When I recognize circles of care in Bahia, this is also because I come from one of those myself. You have given me the interest, strength and courage to carry this through; thank you for your care and infinite support. Finally, I dedicate this thesis to Mark, who has been with me in this adventure from the start, and who, in one way or another, is present on every page I wrote. vi Table of contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... v Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Axé! .......................................................................................................................... 1 Candomblé healing ................................................................................................... 9 Powerful care ......................................................................................................... 17 Breaking and building boundaries ......................................................................... 23 Background: A brief history of Candomblé ........................................................... 28 Fieldsite and fieldwork methods ............................................................................ 39 Thesis overview ....................................................................................................
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