The Devil and the Land of the Holy Cross : Witchcraft, Slavery, and Popular Religion in Colonial Brazil / Laura de Mello e Souza.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Souza, Laura de Mello e, Author.

Contributor:

Souza, Laura de Mello e, Contributor.

Grosklaus Whitty, Diane R., Contributor.

Series:

LLILAS Translations from Latin America Series

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (374 p.)

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, [2013]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Originally published in Brazil as O Diabo e a Terra de Santa Cruz, this translation from the Portuguese analyzes the nature of popular religion and the ways it was transferred to the New World in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Using richly detailed transcripts from Inquisition trials, Mello e Souza reconstructs how Iberian, indigenous, and African beliefs fused to create a syncretic and magical religious culture in Brazil. Focusing on sorcery, the author argues that European traditions of witchcraft combined with practices of Indians and African slaves to form a uniquely Brazilian set of beliefs that became central to the lives of the people in the colony. Her work shows how the Inquisition reinforced the view held in Europe (particularly Portugal) that the colony was a purgatory where those who had sinned were exiled, a place where the Devil had a wide range of opportunities. Her focus on the three centuries of the colonial period, the multiple regions in Brazil, and the Indian, African, and Portuguese traditions of magic, witchcraft, and healing, make the book comprehensive in scope. Stuart Schwartz of Yale University says, "It is arguably the best book of this genre about Latin America.all in all, a wonderful book." Alida Metcalf of Trinity University, San Antonio, says, "This book is a major contribution to the field of Brazilian history.the first serious study of popular religion in colonial Brazil.Mello e Souza is a wonderful writer."

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface to the English Edition

Preface to the First Edition

Acknowledgments

Translator's Note

PART I A Wealth of Impieties: The Colony' s Lot

CHAPTER 1 The New World between God and the Devil

CHAPTER 2 Popular Religiosity in the Colony

PART II Sorcery, Magical Practices, and Daily Life

CHAPTER 3 Material Survival

CHAPTER 4 The onset of conflict

CHAPTER 5 Maintaining Bonds of Affection

CHAPTER 6 Communicating with the supernatural

PART III Culture, Imagination, and Everyday Life

CHAPTER 7 Intertwined Discourses

CHAPTER 8 Remarkable Stories: Where Their Roads Led

CONCLUSION Sabbats and Calundus

Appendix: Tables

Notes

Glossary

Sources and Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 22. Feb 2025)

ISBN:

9780292749474

0292749473