Violent conversion : Brazilian pentecostalism and urban women in Mozambique / Linda van de Kamp.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kamp, Linda van de, author.

Series:

Religion in transforming Africa

Religion in transforming Africa, 2398-8673

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pentecostal churches--Mozambique.

Pentecostal churches.

Women and religion--Mozambique.

Women and religion.

Pentecostal churches--Brazil.

Pentecostal women--Mozambique.

Pentecostal women.

Conversion--Pentecostal churches.

Conversion.

Sex--Religious aspects.

Sex.

Mozambique.

Brazil.

Physical Description:

xi, 236 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Woodbridge, Suffolk ; Rochester, NY : James Currey, 2016.

Summary:

There has been an extraordinary growth in Pentecostalism in Africa, with Brazilian Pentecostals establishing new transnational Christian connections, initiating widespread changes not only in religious practice but in society. This book describes its rise in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, and the sometimes dramatic impact of Pentecostalism on women. Here large numbers of urban women are taking advantage of the opportunities Pentecostalism offers to overcome restrictions at home, pioneer new life spaces and change their lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet, conversion can also mean a violent rupturing with tradition, with family and with social networks. As the pastors encourage women to cut their ties with the past, including ancestral spirits, they come to see their kin and husbands as imbued with evil powers, and many leave their families. Conquering spheres that used to be forbidden to them, they often live alone as unmarried women, sometimes earning more than men of a similar age. They are also expected to donate huge sums to the churches, often money that they can ill afford, bringing new hardships. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Gender, Family and Social Transformations in Maputo 35

The reproduction of life 37

Wage labour, migration and the colonial state 39

Colonial Maputo: a man's world 41

Mother Africa and Father Marx 43

The war 47

Post-war Maputo: a feminising city? 50

Conclusion: pioneering new lifestyles 53

2 Transnational Spaces of Conquest 55

Religion and mobility in southeastern Africa 56

Christian churches and the Mozambican nation-state 57

The transnational mobility of Pentecostalism 62

South-South Pentecostalism and the Lusophone Atlantic 68

Pioneering transnationally 75

Conclusion: becoming Pentecostal 'strangers' 77

3 Moving Frontiers: the Generational Trajectories of Pentecostal Women 79

Four generations of Pentecostal women 81

60 to 75 year olds: 'it takes years of struggle' 82

40 to 60 year olds: from Socialism to Pentecostalism 85

30 to 40 years olds: 'we have to light mental poverty' 89

15 to 30 year olds: self-assured and confident 92

Conclusion: the rupture of continued pioneering 97

4 Converting the Spirit Spouse 103

Socio-spiritual transformations 104

The South-South transnational spirit of Pombagira 110

Spirit spouse relations as communication 114

Disconnecting the relational body 117

Armed bodies 124

Conclusion: violent transformation 127

5 Terapia Do Amor: Confrontational Public Love 131

Love, sexuality and marriage in Maputo 134

Romantic love, telenovelas and Brazilian pastors 137

Brazilian Pentecostal counselling 143

Terapia do amor 147

Transnational Pentecostal therapeutic reflections and actions 149

Realising love, disciplining the body 152

The violence of downplaying senses 159

Conclusion: a therapy of hate? 163

6 'Holy Bonfires' and Campaigns 165

Burying life 168

Money and changing dependencies 171

Tithes, offerings and campaigns 173

Business course 176

Pentecostal aid: help yourself 178

Conclusion: between failure and success 184.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-225) and index.

ISBN:

9781847011527

1847011527

OCLC:

950953888

Publisher Number:

99969296785