THE ROAD TO SPIRITISM By MARIA ENEDINA LIMA BEZERRA A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2002 Copyright 2002 By Maria Enedina Lima Bezerra To my beloved parents, Abelardo and Edinir Bezerra, for all the emotional and spiritual support that they gave me throughout this journey; and to the memory of my most adored grandmother, Maria do Carmo Lima, who helped me sow the seeds of the dream that brought me here. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My first expressions of gratitude go to my parents for always having believed in me and supported my endeavors and for having instilled in me their heart-felt love for learning and for peoples and lands beyond our own. Without them, I would not have grown to be such a curious individual, always interested in leaving my familiar surroundings and learning about other cultures. My deepest gratitude goes to the Spiritists who so warmly and openly welcomed me in their centers and so generously dedicated their time so that 1 could conduct my research. With them I learned about Spiritism and also learned to accept and respect a faith different from my own. It would be impossible for me to list here the names of all the Spiritists I interviewed and interacted with. In particular, I would like to thank the people of Grupo Espirita Paulo e Estevao, Centra Espirita Pedro, o Apostolo de Jesus, and Centro Espirita Grao de Mostarda. Without them, this study would not have been possible. I am deeply indebted to my committee for the support 1 received throughout my entire course of study. Maxine Margolis, as chair of my committee, offered me her unconditional support, always prodding me to give my very best and guiding me through the different stages of the program. I thank her for her insightful comments on my work, and for sharing with me her remarkable knowledge and love for my country. Manuel Vasquez deserves my highest gratitude for guiding me step by step through the field of religious studies and for his valuable insights on social and religious theory. Manuel's iv insightful comments and knowledge in the field of religion were crucial for the development of my theoretical framework. His enlightening reading suggestions, stimulating conversations, friendly support, and encouragements made the writing of this dissertation a joy. No words could ever express my deepest gratitude for his Murray, unconditional guidance and support. I feel very fortunate to have met Gerald so whose love for anthropology opened my eyes to this fascinating field of study. 1 was struck by his passionate talk about the study of anthropology that I decided to embark on to have learned so this journey. I was also very fortunate to have met Anna Peterson and much in the field of religion through her writings. Her support and encouragement also made this dissertation come to light. Throughout this long journey from Brazil to the USA, many people helped me along the way. It would be impossible for me to name them all, but I must take the time to thank some who were crucial in making my stay in this country a reality. First, I would like to thank the Hohenwarter family of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, who so warmly welcomed me in their home when I first moved to this country to pursue my graduate studies. I also would like to thank Dr. Robert J. Labriola, from Millersville University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Jean Casagrande, from the University of Florida, for having made my studies in this country possible by awarding me graduate and teaching assistantships. Without those assistantships, I would not have been able to pursue my studies here. My sincere gratitude also goes to Libby Ginway, in the Romance Languages Department at the University of Florida, for whom I worked during the entire time I was a student in the Department of Anthropology. I could not have asked for a better person to work for and with. She deserves my deepest gratitude for making my rewarding experiences I experience of teaching assistant of Portuguese one of the most go to Karen Jones and had during my graduate studies at U.F. My sincere thanks also for helping make my Patricia Gaither King in the Department of Anthropology experience in the department such a pleasant one. P.E.O. organization who awarded me I am also indebted to the women of the concern for the world and three consecutive grants for my studies of anthropology. Their great appreciation. I dedication to help foreign women studying in the USA deserve my part of studies and also would like to thank the Brazilian government for supporting my I hope one day to my entire field research, through a two-year scholarship from CAPES. I to make it be able to give back to the people of Brazil what I learned here, and vow their possible, through my work and contribution, for other Brazilian students to fulfill dream of studying abroad. Many dear friends made this journey a most special one. First and foremost, I am deeply indebted to Cristina Rocha for sharing with me all her knowledge on the field of religion in Brazil and for providing me with countless hours of advice and encouragement. Her friendship and support made it possible for me to overcome any doubt and difficulty that I encountered during the writing of this dissertation. I could never thank Cristina enough for her selfless and true friendship and for being such a beautiftil and kind spirit. My sincere gratitude also goes to my dear friends Graziela Correa da Costa, Ligia Rocha, Helena Petridis, Silvia Romitelli, Marcos David Ferreira, Karen Hjerpe, Sarah Hyde, Ricardo Van Erven, Tania Querido, Stela Maria Torres de Melo, and Fernando Cartaxo Rolim Neto for making my stay in Gainesville such a special one and also for their true and sincere friendship. My deepest gratitude also goes vi to Ralph and Olha Delia Cava for their precious friendship and for giving me so many valuable pieces of advice during my course of study here. My dear friends Geraldo Lima Junior and Steve Delco helped make my stay in the USA a time of inner search. No words can translate the gratitude that I feel for having friends like them who challenged me to grow and become a better human being. My sincere gratitude also goes to Maga Lemos, my childhood friend who has shared so many special moments with me and who introduced me to the Spiritist centers in Fortaleza. Her guidance during my field research I also was crucial in making it possible for me to get acquainted with Spiritism. must thank my dear cousins Raimundo Lemos Dantas and Joire Vitorino Barbosa for their unconditional friendship and support from my early days when studying in the USA was only but a dream. And last but not least, I want to thank Lindsay Wagner, for having, through her work and commitment to humanity, inspired me to follow my dreams. I must not forget to thank those who prayed for me during the time I most needed help from the sacred world. I am truly indebted to the prayers of Father Airton Freire de Lima, from Funda9ao Terra in Arcoverde, Brazil, who always made it possible for me to have faith when faith was all that I needed. I am also grateful for the prayers of Sister Dora Adames in the Salesian Sisters Congregation in Tampa, Florida, and for the prayers of the Sisters of Doroteias in Recife, Brazil. I am deeply grateful for the prayers of my dear friends Guida Souza and Mirian Vaconcelos Benevides, and dear aunts Maria Eneyda Lima, Maria Ecilda Lima de Vasconcellos, and Therezinha Lima, and also for my parents' daily prayers. They have shaken heaven; and God, indeed, has listened and answered them. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv ABSTRACT x CHAPTERS 1 1 INTRODUCTION Brief History of Spiritism: Its Place of Birth and Belief System 3 Spiritism's Early Days in Brazil 11 Famous Brazilian Mediums 15 Accounting for Spiritism in Contemporary Brazil 19 Theoretical perspective 27 Research Site 29 Survey Design and Source of Data 33 Organization of the Study 36 2 THE CHANGING FACE OF RELIGION: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM IN BRAZIL 38 Religious Economies and Subcultural Identity Theories 39 Setting the Stage 40 The Orixds Come to Light 44 Incorporation of Brazilian Spirits 48 A Religion Bom in the Forest 50 Protestants in Action 55 Buddhism Arrives in Brazil 60 Pluralization within the Catholic Church 63 Spiritism: A Quest for Reason 67 Conclusion 69 3 UNDERSTANDING NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS AND CONVERSION TO SPIRITISM 71 What is a New Religious Movement? 72 Why Have New Religious Movements Emerged? 74 Who Joins New Religious Movements? 83 viii Empirical Findings on Conversion to New Religious Movements 87 Who are the Members of New Religious Movements? 102 4 INSIDE THE SPIRITIST CENTER 107 The GEPE's Neighborhood 1 07 The GEPE's Infrastructure 109 The GEPE's Teaching Method Ill The GEPE: A Religious Institution or a School? 112 The Sacred Experience at GEPE 114 The GEPE's Attendance 118 The GEPE's Economics 123 The GEPE's Internal Organization and Activities 123 Department of Spiritual Treatment (TE) 126 Department of Doctrinal Study {ESDE) 135 Department of Mediumship (GEM) 136 Department of Charity 1 42 ^ Department of Youth-Indoctrination 146 Department of Assets 146 Spreading the Doctrine at GEPE 147 Department of Human Resources 148 Conclusion 148 5 THE ROAD TO SPIRITISM 151 Health 153 Domestic Problems 169 Loss of a Relative 1 82 Other Problems 186 Conclusion 186 6 CONCLUSION 189 Understanding the Conversion Process 1 90 The Spiritist Center: A Safe Haven Within a Fragmented World 192 Conversion to Spiritism: Implications for the Brazilian Religious Field 195 Limitations of this Study and Agenda for Further Research 198 APPENDIX.