Communities of the Soul : A Short History of Religion in Puerto Rico / José E. Igartua.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Igartua, José E., Author.

Series:

McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion ; 90

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (216 p.) : 12 figures

Place of Publication:

Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2022]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Religion is fundamental to contemporary Puerto Rican society. From the cosmology of the Indigenous Taíno, to the wide range of Judeo-Christian churches and sects, to the practitioners of spiritism, Afro-Caribbean religions, and witchcraft, religious practice in its many forms permeates the lives of most Puerto Ricans.Communities of the Soul illuminates the landscape and history of religion in Puerto Rico from the beliefs and practices of the Taíno to the religious diversity of the present day. Throughout its history, religion in Puerto Rico has braided institutional forms and popular practices, yet has always been a community-based process – made by the people. When the island was under Spanish colonial rule, the formal but weak presence of Catholicism meant that Puerto Ricans cultivated their religious experiences within families and local communities as much as within the structures of the church. These communal practices continued as Puerto Ricans joined Protestant denominations – particularly evangelical Pentecostalism – after the American conquest of the island in 1898. In the second half of the twentieth century, religious diversity increased with the formation of Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as numerous local evangelical congregations. Even as Puerto Rican society becomes more cosmopolitan and diverse, popular devotions and ritualistic practices remain an important part of everyday life.The first synthesis of the religious history of the island, Communities of the Soul is an innovative exploration of religion in Puerto Rico and the beliefs, practices, and diversity of its past and present.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Figures

Preface

Acknowledgments

Life and Religion among the Taíno

The Catholic Church in Spain, 16th–18th Centuries

The Catholic Church in Puerto Rico, 16th–18th Centuries

Religious Counter-Revolution in Puerto Rico, 19th Century

Challenges to Orthodoxy, 1870–1900

American Dominion, 1898–1930

Protestantism, 1898–1960

The Catholic Church and the State, 1930–70

Varieties of Monotheism: Protestants, Jews, and Muslims in the Late 20th Century

Non-Institutional Forms of Religious Practice in the Late 20th Century

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Aug 2023)

ISBN:

0-2280-0959-6

OCLC:

1394873228