Santeria: The Religion

Migene Gonzalez-Wippler, in Santeria: The Religion, attempts to shed light on the religion which is "the best-kept secret of Hispanic culture." A cultural anthropologist, the author presents a portrait of the religion and its beliefs and practices in an effort to show that it deserves to be included among the major religions of the world, rather than a bizarre and bloody cult focusing on black magic and perversion of other religions. The author's dedication to her subject is seen in the fact that she herself became an initiate into several of the rituals of the religion. One might argue that such a personal step could have taken away some of her scientific objectivity, but one might also argue that one can only understand such a unique religion by taking part in it at least to some important degree. Gonzalez-Wippler writes that part of the failure of an earlier book on Santeria was because she had not been able to penetrate the secrecy which its advocates surround the religion to protect it from outsiders. For better or worse, the author became somewhat of an insider in researching the present book, her third on the subject. The present volume brings together the most significant aspects of the first two books, eliminates their errors, and adds new information.

Santeria has a long history, some four centuries in the New World, since the advent of slavery. It is in part African, in part Hispanic, especially in its Catholic elements, and in part American, at least in the fo

Related Essays

Santeria: The Religion Migene Gonzalez-Wippler, in Santeria: The Religion, attempts to shed light on the religion which is "the best-kept secret of Hispanic culture." A cultural .... (1172 5 )

Santeria Religion & Practices SANTERIA: AN EXAMINATION OF A RELIGION AND ITS PRACTICES This research examines the Santeria religion and its practices. Throughout .... (5604 22 )

America and Religion .... and Miami. More and more Americans, particularly black Americans, have turned to Santeria when seeking a new religion. They may .... (2315 9 )

The History of Animal Sacrifice .... sacrifice. One such group is the Santeria religion, a "blend of West African Yoruba religion and Catholicism," (Mastroni, 2004, p. 133). .... (1045 4 )

The Bermuda Triangle .... Indeed, the home of the Voodoo and Santeria mystery religion variations on Christian-animist beliefs is rife with tales that put paranormal explanations to .... (1675 7 )

Category: Philosophy - S